Great Green Entrepreneurs meet in Ghana

Bolgatanga, Ghana – Entrepreneurs and policy makers from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali and Niger came together on 15-16 April to explore the potential of creating new markets for crops grown in the Sahel.

The workshop, organized by UNCCD together with a social enterprise Aduna and a local NGO ORGIIS, invited the participants to share views on the potential of growing and exporting dryland crops such as moringa and fonio for creating new jobs in the region. SEED, MBC Africa, Ecocert, SINERGI and Tree Aid also contributed to the workshop, providing information on organic certification, opportunities for landscape restoration in supply chains, financing and support for entrepreneurs. “Now we know who to ask for support as a start up," said Aziz Kasim from Moringa Connect in Ghana.

Workshop participants also visited the Aduna and ORGIIS baobab-processing center and met with representatives of women’s cooperatives who harvest and process baobab fruit. The outcomes of the training session in Northern Ghana will help develop a Great Green Entrepreneurs training kit that can be used throughout the Sahel region. Funding for the workshop was provided through the Local Environmental Coalition for a Green Union project (FLEUVE) financed by the European Commission and the Soil Leadership Academy to support the Great Green Wall Initiative.

Read more:

• The Great Green Wall Initiative