Consulting firm launches programme to support climate-smart businesses KCIC Consulting Ltd has with support from Amref Health Kenya launched a programme that seeks to support young entrepreneurs with climate-smart businesses that also have an innovation in the health field.
The programme dubbed “Raising African Voices” is seeking to present a platform for youth, especially women, with a fuse of climate and health smart innovations, initiatives, interventions, and research to showcase their solutions to a global audience.
Speaking about the programme, KCIC Consulting Chief Executive Prabhakar Vanam has said that the aim of the programme is to unlock the potential for African youth to take climate action, solve climate and health challenges as well as commercialize their ideas.
“We are in a global crisis precipitated by climate change. It is an urgent time to make collective efforts to address this menace. As a consulting firm we are working with allied partners to reduce the effects of climate change either through mitigation or adaptation. That is why in partnership with Amref Health Kenya we launched this programme as we seek to identify and support innovative businesses in Africa who will support us in this journey,” he explained.
“This programme not only provides the much-needed financial support to businesses, but we are creating a platform for them to interact and learn from other businesses in this sector and as well we will put the successful businesses in a business incubation where for one year, they will learn how to bring the best out of their businesses.”
This programme is a pilot programme that seeks to support businesses in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Malawi, Zambia and South Africa. Successful applicants stand a chance to win a conditional grant of up to Ksh 849,825 (€7,000) as well as an opportunity to participate in the COP 27 event in Egypt.
Other rewards include the opportunity to participate in a one–year incubation and acceleration program, participation in the entrepreneurship forum where they will meet private companies, banks, and other development institutions and joining an alumni network that will be an opportunity to network and learn from other youth across Africa.
Africa is being hit hardest by the effects of climate change globally. According to the State of the Climate in Africa report by United Nations Climate Change, climate change is having a growing impact on the African continent, hitting the most vulnerable hardest, and contributing to food insecurity, population displacement and stress on water resources.
Extreme weather conditions occasioned by climate change continues to threaten human health and safety as well as socio-economic development in Africa.
There exist numerous business ideas within the climate change and health nexus that entrepreneurs continue to explore. Such is what is being supported by Raising Africa Voices.
To participate in the competition, businesses have been asked to submit their idea or innovation with climate and health impact through the KCIC Consulting website.
The company says that it will help successful applicants to fast track their business innovations into a commercialized business by bypassing possible pitfalls along the way.
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