About The hub
The GEPA GreenToCompete Hub offers practical assistance for SMEs to build their capacity and knowledge to implement green business practices and improve their competitiveness locally and internationally.
The Hub has been launched after GEPA received comprehensive support for 36 months from International Trade Centre’s GreenToCompete programme which supported over 30 Ghanaian SMEs with personalized coaching on Resource Efficiency, Voluntary and Sustainability Standards, Access to Finance, and Positioning Sustainable Products on Markets. The programme also built the capacity of GEPA to integrate sustainability practices in its regular portfolio of services to continue serving Ghanaian SMEs with the implemented modules.
Hub Offering
The GEPA GreenToCompete Hub thus benefits from ITC’s methodologies, tools and coaching programmes that are essential to building SMEs capacity to transition to the green economy. It offers specific training and coaching in
Resource Efficiency and Circular Production Processes (RECP)
This module builds the capacity of Ghanaian SMEs with practices to optimize resource consumption such as water, energy, and waste to reduce costs and become efficient in their production processes. The Hub works with SMEs to collect company data on energy and water consumption, and waste generation; assess and identify gaps in efficiency and recommend measures to improve them. SMEs are supported to develop RECP strategies and subsequently introduced to financiers and technology service providers.
Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS)
This module aims to capacitate Ghanaian SMEs with tools to identify relevant standards (e.g., Organic, Fairtrade, UTZ, Global GAP etc.) required by the international buyers, identify gaps in compliance with standards and implement practices to address the gaps. At the end of the module, SMEs can successfully obtain certificates of compliance against selected standards. The module also involves connecting SMES to international buyers through B2B events.
Positioning Sustainable Products on Markets
This module support SMEs to position their sustainable brands in the international market through e-commerce. Through the module SMEs gain the necessary skills to deal with export documentation, understand the rules around exporting to foreign markets, choose the right logistics partner and package shipments sustainably. They also learn about how to use different digital marketing tactics to generate online traffic, leads and sales as well as suitable online payments solutions to receive international payments.
Access to Finance
The Access to Finance training takes beneficiary SMEs through topics such as Financial Accounting and Management for SMEs, Green and Gender Inclusive Business Plan Development and provides them with an overview of green finance offering in Ghana. The intensive training is followed up with a personalized coaching to SMEs on developing/improving financial documentation, preparation of a bankable business plan and investment pitch including Environmental, Social and Governance elements, and an opportunity to meet financiers.
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