Green ambassadors for Women in Agribusiness

Starting out in 2013 CTS together with AWAN East Africa and East African Women in Business Platform launched an initiative to create a platform where women in agribusiness could get the technical and practical knowledge about Green Technology with a focus on Solar Energy, Biogas, Water management and Waste management. In August 2015 the first Green Ambassadors were graduated.

The first steps focused on building the awareness, looking at the practical usages and benchmarking between different networks and countries. The following year we took it further going towards assessing risks, implementing technology (the right technology) and possible gains – for the individual, the business, the network and towards a sustainable society. The second year saw actions really take off with several women setting up biogas, harnessing solar power and turning “waste into wealth”. Working with Swedish companies active and wanting to be more active in the region – the focus on greentech has served as a platform not only for knowledge but also for business.

And finally – 2015 – 20 progressing ladies took the stage in Nairobi, Kenya on August 19. Sharing with the others and the expert team on what they are doing and what they have achieved in green tech. These 20 ladies representing Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe have all taken the knowledge, realized the opportunity and run with it – making it an inclusive part of their business.

The workshop taking place in Nairobi was focused around providing the tools necessary to train others but also at collecting the cases that can serve as best practice for women looking to make their business greener.

That is a great result and good enough but we are taking it a step further looking at how this can be spread further. Already the ambassadors have started through sharing their knowledge, inviting others to see what they are doing and using the tools they have to encourage others.

Future collaborations and further work will be put into assisting AWAN to take the knowledge further, providing the service and a “green stamp” to more members and for the ambassadors to have the tools and the set-up they need.

Want to know more? Contact Sofie Wikander, sofie.wikander@chambertrade.se or Charlotte Kalin, charlotte.kalin@chambertrade.se