Africa must move youth-led green innovations beyond ideas to viable businesses – Ahmed Bening Wiisichong

Ahmed Bening Wiisichong, Secretary General of the Pan African Youth Union, has urged for greater financial backing, technical assistance, and policy measures to assist young African innovators in transforming climate solutions into profitable businesses that stimulate economic growth and generate employment. Addressing the Africa Youth Conference at Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, Wiisichong emphasized the necessity of transitioning from individual projects to replicable, financially supported, and enduring solutions across communities and nations.

The conference assembled civil society organizations and youthful climate advocates from African nations under the theme, "Scaling Youth-led Innovation for Africa’s Green Economy." Wiisichong noted that while African youth were devising promising solutions in renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, waste management, recycling, sustainable mobility, and digital technologies, many initiatives encountered difficulties scaling up from conceptual ideas to functional enterprises due to limited financial resources, technical know-how, market access, mentoring, and conducive policy frameworks.

To expand youth-led green innovation, Wiisichong stressed the need for enhanced collaboration between youth innovators, governments, private sector entities, financial institutions, academic institutions, and development partners to unleash the potential of Africa's youthful population in the green economy. He underlined the importance of increasing access to green financing, enhancing entrepreneurship and technical skills, facilitating research and technology transfer, and establishing platforms for market entry to aid young innovators in expanding their businesses.

Wiisichong also advocated for policies that acknowledge youth-led enterprises as crucial contributors to Africa’s green industrialization and job creation. He cautioned that scaling innovation should transcend merely multiplying the number of ideas, stressing the importance of fostering conditions that enable successful innovations to flourish, reach a broader audience, and produce quantifiable results.

Wiisichong also stressed the importance of prioritizing the inclusion of rural youth, young women, and individuals from underserved communities in the emerging green economy. He argued that Africa's green transition must be inclusive, foster decent employment, and promote social equity to avoid exacerbating existing inequalities.