AfDB, Invest in Africa unveil MicroGREEN Project to empower marginalised groups

Participants in the meeting

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Invest in Africa, jointly launched the MicroGREEN project aimed to provide livelihood opportunities for marginalised and vulnerable groups in Ghana and Senegal.

Titled “Strengthening Women, Youth and People with Disabilities’ Micro Entrepreneurship for Green Jobs in Natural Resources (MicroGREEN),” the project seeks to generate up to 500 green job opportunities while delivering essential business development services.

The bank, through its Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund, has allocated $1 million grant to support the MicroGREEN project over two years to provide entrepreneurship capacity building and business skills to at least 1,000 youth aged 15-35 years.

Speaking at the launch in Accra on Wednesday, the Ghana Country manager of AfDB, Eyerusalem Fasika, emphasised its commitment to addressing climate change and poverty challenges in alignment with Nationally Determined Contributions and Sustainable Development Goals.

Ms Fasika highlighted several bank initiatives to foster inclusive development, particularly its gender strategy to empower women through access to finance, accelerating employability, and increasing access to social services. She also underscored the Bank’s collaboration with UN Women in order to empower women in the natural resources sector.

For her part, the Country Manager for Invest in Africa, Ghana, Carol Anang, noted that the project’s rollout was timely and would serve as a magnet to attract and increase opportunities to improve livelihoods, particularly for vulnerable groups.

“Our priority is to facilitate increased synergy between large international organisations and local entities to work together to spur inclusive growth,” Ms Anang stressed, adding that the project would enhance skills for employability.

The project will utilise value chain-based small and medium enterprise development models to enhance employment creation, ensure the sustainability of micro-enterprises, and integrate beneficiaries into economic systems.

A representative of the Ministry of Finance, Solomon Amponsah, expressed the government’s support for the successful implementation of the project stressing that, “your commitment to inclusive growth and sustainable development is truly inspiring. I am confident that together, we will make a meaningful impact on the lives of thousands of marginalised individuals in Ghana and Senegal.”

The Bank is currently working on a tool to track and monitor green jobs from the Bank’s projects portfolio, especially those relating to climate action, environment, circular economy, and biodiversity activities, the country manager stated.

BY TIMES REPORTER