Green Lend: Inclusive credit risk assessment across value chains | Climate Finance, South Africa 2019
Published: 24 November 2019 Maggie Sloan
This credit risk assessment mechanism aims to increase lending to climate-smart SMEs through risk scorecard development that incorporates alternative data across enterprise value chains. Read more
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Malawi Waste Management Consortium: Building markets for waste innovation value chains | Policy, Malawi 2019
Published: 13 November 2019 Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan, Marlena Kiefl
The Malawi Waste Management Consortium supports the development of waste management markets and the alignment of policy around green and inclusive development approaches with entrepreneurial waste management solutions. The consortium aims to improve access to information on the current government policy for waste management and guidance for aspiring waste innovators by establishing a consortium of waste management experts and ecosystem actors and developing a digital platform and online marketplace for waste innovation. Read more
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Off-grid renewable energy private-public partnership model: Improving market access and affordable technology financing | Policy, Malawi 2019
Published: 13 November 2019 Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan, Marlena Kiefl
his private-public partnership model furthers the electrification of (rural) Malawi by engaging technology suppliers, financiers and government around eco-inclusive enterprises offering off-grid renewable energy solutions and delivering capacity building for integrated distribution networks and targeted clean energy financing solutions. Read more
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Looking Beyond the Known: Changing Mindsets through Design-Led Entrepreneurial Solutions
Published: 31 October 2019 Maggie Sloan
Ms Kasturi, Founder of Daily Dump (SEED Low Carbon Award Winner 2018), was welcomed as keynote speaker during the BEYOND THE KNOWN: Practitioners’ Exchange to Discover New Ways to Promote Entrepreneurship & Support MSME Development from 15-16th October at the GIZ Representation in Berlin. Read more
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Meet the SEED Awards 2019 Winners & Finalists
Published: 24 October 2019
Tackling poverty and climate change, generating employment opportunities and contributing to economic development, this year’s 14 SEED Award winners were selected from over nine hundred applicants and were recognised for solutions to major local and global challenges. Read more
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The SEED Awards 2019 highlight the contribution of green and social enterprises to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals
Published: 24 October 2019
Lilongwe, Malawi, Berlin, Germany, 24 October 2019 - Tackling poverty and climate change, generating employment opportunities and contributing to economic development, this year’s 14 SEED Award winners were selected from over 900 applicants and were recognised for solutions to major local and global challenges. Read more
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Incentivising activity in the biomass sector | Policy, South Africa 2019
Published: 21 October 2019 Camilla Shearman, Julia Haack
This policy prototype looks to the biomass-to-energy value chain to pilot a mechanism that will catalyse sound decision-making in the biomass sector, leading to the implementation of sustainable invasive alien clearing, harvesting and biomass utilisation projects that connect to well-supported energy markets. In order to address the challenges that small and medium businesses in this sector currently face, the prototype involves setting up a knowledge-sharing platform to provide value chain specific information, biomass to energy case studies, and information on how to navigate regulatory frameworks, policy and fiscal incentives. Read more
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Commercialisation of climate change adaptation innovations | Policy, South Africa 2019
Published: 21 October 2019 Camilla Shearman, Julia Haack
The proposed independent institution brings public and private stakeholders together with a focus of providing support for the commercialisation of climate change adaptation technologies. The convening independent institution would host a platform of support services including funding, market information, and opportunities for pre-commercial procurement. The solution will therefore act as a “one stop shop” for SMEs during commercialisation. Read more
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BDS+ Special Focus 3: BDS Providers & Challenges in the eco-system
Published: 27 September 2019 Linde Wolters, Sonya Ong
BDS providers provide crucial help eco-inclusive, micro, small, and medium enterprises to overcome day to day challenges around fundraising, direction or finding talent. Are you a BDS provider? Read on to find out if you share similar challenges with others. Read more
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Building healthier communities with Khainza Energy
Published: 18 September 2019 Linde Wolters, Sonya Ong
“Khainza” is a reference to a small person with high energy and ability. It is also Arthur Woniala, the founder's, mother’s maiden name. Khainza Energy is committed to providing clean, safe, and affordable cooking fuel solutions to Ugandans. We caught up with Arthur to hear how SEED Support has helped change his business & what Khainza is up to these days. Read more
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Adidas, Orlando Pirates create EcoBricks for Mandela Day
BizCommunity Source: BizCommunity
Adidas and Orlando Pirates Football Club gave back on Mandela Day by learning about the importance of adopting sustainable practices and by creating EcoBricks using non-recyclable plastic waste, in partnership with SEED Award Winner EcoBrick Exchange. Read more
Coffee helps protect Uganda's endangered mountain gorillas
Deutsche Welle Source: Deutsche Welle
Gorilla Conservation Coffee is featured in this story by Deutsche Welle focusing on how coffee offers a more sustainable living for poor communities in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Read more
Green The Map opens "Remakery India", a local upcycle space
Green The Map Source: Green The Map
After months of hard work Green The Map's team has successfully curated an upcycled space that we call the @indiaremakery where customers can borrow, batter and buy so that less of what we consume ends up in the landfill. The doors to Remakery India open to public on 14 September 2019. Read more
Sanedi signs contract with SolarTurtle to develop next-gen solar kiosks
Schalk Burger Source: Engineering News
The South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi), the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and community empowerment solar photovoltaic (PV) product developer SolarTurtle have signed a contract to develop the next-generation SolarTurtle solar energy kiosk, called the BabyTurtle. Read more
WASHKing runner-up wins €10,000 at Siemens Empowering People Award
Siemens Stiftung Source: Siemens Stiftung
2017 SAG-SEED Award Winner WASHKing who provides low-income and underserved communities with access to sanitation products at an affordable price has won runner-up place at the Empowering People Award by Siemens Stiftung. #epA2019 Read more
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Mobile-Enabled Microinsurance for Climate Resilient Agriculture | Climate Finance, Uganda 2018
Published: 09 July 2019 Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan
The mobile-enabled microinsurance solution catalyses mobile-based technology to increase access to and improve the quality of agriculture insurance solutions offered to small-scale agribusinesses in Uganda. This product insures small-scale agribusinesses who produce commercial crops against production losses, monitored using real-time weather indexing. Product delivery, servicing and claims pay-outs are facilitated by a network of insurance agents supported by local-level representatives and mobile-money and communication technology. Read more
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Syndicate for Renewable Energy Infrastructure Financing | Climate Finance, Uganda 2018
Published: 09 July 2019 Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan
The syndicate for renewable energy infrastructure financing solution contracts a community of interested debt and equity lenders to finance household RE projects. It enables and leverages syndication effects to increase the number of new financial partnerships, raise debt in the RE sector and multiply returns on investments. Investors are legally bound in the syndicate, which finances RE infrastructure projects based on comprehensive project analysis, due diligence and evaluation. High ROI potential projects receive financing through insurance, blended financing or otherwise, depending on the financing service offerings of member financiers. The syndicate supports RE infrastructure projects to plan project implementation and schedules payments accordingly. Read more
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Irrigation System Microleasing for High-Value Crops | Climate Finance, Uganda 2018
Published: 08 July 2019 Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan
The irrigation system microleasing for high-value crops solution mitigates investment risks for both farmers and financial institutions. The irrigation system financing model directs financing for climate-smart irrigation technologies through technology providers to agribusinesses that produce (or have the potential to produce) commercial crops that generate higher profits at market. The financing mechanism for irrigation systems engages the private sector to maximise returns on investment in productive farm assets (specifically irrigation) in the agriculture sector. Read more
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EcoAct Tanzania wins at 2019 Le Monde Cities Urban Innovation Awards
Par Marion Douet Source: Le Monde
2018 SEED Low Carbon Awards winner EcoAct Tanzania wins "Habitat" award at the 2019 Le Monde Cities Urban Innovation Awards. The Awards was presented on June 28 in Paris, France. EcoAct recycles and transforms plastic waste into sustainable building materials as an alternative to wood with the aim to preserve forests and mitigate negative climate change effects. [Article in French] Read more
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Gorilla Conservation Coffee shortlisted for the 2019 Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa.
Tusk News Source: Tusk News
The Duke Of Cambridge Celebrates Tusk's Front-Line Conservation Heroes: Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka of Gorilla Conservation Coffee has been shortlisted for the 2019 Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa. Read more
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Daily Dump featured at VAM's Food: Bigger Than The Plate exhibition
Victoria and Albert Museum Source: Victoria and Albert Museum
SEED Low Carbon Award Winner 2018 Daily Dump (India) features their home-compost products at the Victoria & Albert Museum (London) exhibition on innovative individuals, communities and organisations who are radically re-inventing how we grow, distribute and experience food. The Exhibition is on now until Sunday, 20 October 2019. Read more
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Lighting up rural South Africa with SolarTurtle
Published: 21 June 2019 Linde Wolters, Sonya Ong
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, James Van der Walt tell us how being on a ferry in Ireland and a monastery in New Zealand inspired the founding of his eco-inclusive business idea. These days, they’re busy with SANEDI working on developing Baby Turtles which would be smaller, cheaper versions of their original prototype. Read more
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From waste to wealth: the story of alternative fuel enterprise BioAfriq
Published: 20 June 2019 Linde Wolters, Sonya Ong
We caught up with BioAfriq founders and SEED Starter alumni Doreen Achieng Ochieng-Ivisu and James Nyamai, the husband and wife who recently were selected to join the Kenya Acceleration Programme 2019 by CIC Kenya. Their story started when they realised the damage charcoal was doing to their country, where tree cover is at only 3%. In this catch-up, they talk about separating their private from their business life, the difficulty of changing farmer mindsets and why BioAfriq is here to stay. Read more
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Services SETA ECDi shares outcomes of BDS Standard presentation
Source: Services SETA ECDi
Dr Tsiliso Tamasane – Services SETA and Mr Div de Villiers – SEED SA, presented the draft Discussion Paper on “Improving the Quality of Business Advisory Services (BAS) in South Africa” at the Annual SEED South Africa Symposium on 03 April 2019. The Discussion Paper was jointly issued by the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), SEDA, SEED and the Services SETA ECDi. Read more
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Cool clean tech to tackle climate change
Source: Green Times
As showcased during the SEED South Africa Symposium 2019, South African entrepreneurs are taking climate change seriously: Water filters made from macadamia nut shells, a mobile solar-powered kiosk for charging phones in off-grid areas, vegetable growing systems using recycled plastic bags, and a machine that turns any type of waste into energy (gas) or diesel. Read more
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