Organic Trade & Investments and partners True Coco have been selected by the International Trade Center (ITC) and Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) as one of the beneficiaries of the first module of the T4SD Hub in Ghana.
The module – Resource Efficiency and Circular Production (RECP) – aims to capacitate basically 10-20 selected Ghanaian factories and production plants of enterprises – SMEs, notably – with practices to optimize their resources consumption such as water and energy, reduce costs, and implement circular production practices. The programme involves approximately 6 months of free customized coaching provided by a local Resource Efficiency expert who has been trained by ITC and designated to work with selected companies.
In April 2019, following the expression of interest at the T4SD Hub Launch, Organic Trade and Investments' application was considered as a 1st step for the Resource Efficiency and Circular Production Processes (RECP) module. OTI was then invited by the selection team to fill out a 2nd step application form to help in the final selection decision.
The Trade for Sustainable Development (T4SD) team in Ghana explains how the initiative works:
“The T4SD Hub is a one stop shop for SMEs to be coached on different sustainability related thematic areas such as: Resource Efficient and Circular Production (RECP) practices, Voluntary Sustainability Standards, Access to (green) finance and Positioning Sustainable Products in the International Market. Each of the coaching programmes on these areas will be around 6 months of customized coaching provided by a local expert who has been trained and will be supervised by us (T4SD Hub Ghana).
The module, which aims to build the capacity of [selected] businesses to optimize their resources consumption such as water and energy to reduce cost; would be free.”
The T4SD is a programme by International Trade Centre, a United Nations agency, hosted in Ghana by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA).
The T4SD Hub seeks to strengthen green business practices of SMEs in Ghana, Kenya, Viet Nam, Peru, Laos and Nepal.
Esther Asante, CEO of Organic Trade and Investments (OTI), celebrates the news following the selection of her company as one of the beneficiaries of T4SD:
“It is another great achievement for OTI and its partners. This initiative is a great opportunity for Organic Trade and Investments and True Coco to get certified, access financing, meet international buyers’ requirements, and be recognized as organizations that promote and practice sustainability.”
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