Unleashing the potential of Green Innovation in Nigeria- The Unveiling of Greenstartups.ng

Green innovation refers to the making of new technologies, products and services that solves environmental challenges while creating economic value. Climate change and environmental crisis continues to be some of the world’s greatest challenges and overcoming these challenges requires economic disruption and as such green innovation must be embraced. In Nigeria, the green innovation ecosystem is still at its infancy with both opportunities and challenges in perspective. In a bid to solve some of the challenges of green innovation in Nigeria and capitalize on its growth potential made possible through a large market for green products and services, the Nigeria Climate innovation centre in partnership with the embassy of Switzerland in Nigeria has unveiled the greenstartup.ng platform. Greenstartups.ng is Nigeria’s pioneer marketplace for green startups to connect with capital investors. The platform is aimed at promoting and supporting green startups in Nigeria with necessary services and resources to enable them to grow and scale including access to funding, mentorship, training and networking opportunities. The goal of the greenstartup.ng is to create a thriving ecosystem for green innovation in Nigeria where startups can collaborate, exchange ideas and grow their businesses. The platform has been designed to be user friendly, with a focus on simplicity and accessibility, making it easy for startups to use and benefit from the services offered. On the other hand, the platform seeks to attract credible impact investors that wish to support the growth of green innovation in Nigeria by providing operational funding and finance to the startups on the greenstartup.ng platform. Despite the lack of modern infrastructure, funding from the private and public sector which are some of the challenges that have limited the promotion of green innovation in Nigeria, the success of the green startup.ng platform cannot be celebrated without the tremendous support received from international relations expert Raya Schifferle. The Swiss international relations professional played a critical role in fostering a smooth relationship between the Nigeria Climate innovation centre and The Embassy of Switzerland as well as the overall deployment of the platform. This relationship has bolstered the creation of a thriving platform for green innovators in Nigeria. Summarily, The success of the green startup.ng platform is a story of institutions desiring to create impact that can be felt by generations to come as more and more green startups emerge and contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable future for Nigeria. Together we can work to create a brighter future for Nigerians.