The GCIC is a technology hub designed to help local clean technology businesses to develop and commercialise innovative solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana.

 The centre’s key focus is on businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture.

At a day’s interaction with authorities of the school and entrepreneurs who had been supported to grow their green businesses, the Senior World Bank official urged the youth to take advantage of the centre to realise their dreams.

Speaking to journalists, she said her visit was to enable her to understand how World Bank-financed programmes and projects were working on the ground.   Ms Okoro said she was particularly elated that many of the beneficiary entrepreneurs were coming up with innovative and value added products including clean charcoal were females.

 “Indeed listening to them, I am very impressed. They are using local materials to solve social challenges and an example is a company that is helping to produce a substitute for charcoal to ensure that women don’t inhale smoke when cooking to keep them healthy,” she noted.  The GCIC, has since its inception supported companies that are processing moringa crop into powder food beverage and beauty products, turning waste to cooking fuel and fertilizer, and converting plastic to fuel.

Earlier, Ms Okoro had a meeting with Mr Patrick Awuah, President of Ashesi University, where they discussed issues bothering on environmental sustainability, technology advancement and gender empowerment. At the meeting, Mr Awuah said the GCIC continued to create opportunities for sustainable growth for local companies with the knowledge and resources they need to prototype, develop, and market innovative clean technologies.

He remarked that the university was committed to ensuring environmental sensitivity and sustainability and as a result had initiatives including; rainwater harvesting, biogas, and growing ornamental plants to keep the compound green. “We store a million litters of water and that is what is used for many of the construction projects and for landscaping. At Ashesi 40 per cent of our power is generated from solar,” he added.

The GCIC is part of the World Bank’s Climate Technology Programme and its global network of Climate Innovation Centres that include; centres in the Caribbean, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa and Vietnam.