Events

The SWITCH Africa Green Programme Survey was carried out in 2018 to establish how the micro, small and medium enterprises have greened their businesses as a result of the different project interventions namely: uptake of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) and green business practices in agriculture, manufacturing, waste management and tourism sectors. The survey collected relevant data from the Programme’s beneficiaries in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, and Uganda.

The Kenya SWITCH Africa Green grants were officially awarded to the successful applicants at a well-attended ceremony held on 16 November 2015 at the Boma Inn hotel in Nairobi. The grants were presented by Mr. Hjordis Ogendo, Head of Social Affairs and Environment, Delegation of the European Union to Kenya, and Mr. Hezekiah Okeyo, Director, Vision 2030, Ministry of Industrialization and Enterprise Development.

The fourth meeting of the Joint Steering Committee for the Switch Africa Green programme was held on 29 May 2016 in Kampala. The meeting was attended by representatives of the European Union, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the African Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production (ARSCP) and the Government of Uganda on behalf of the pilot countries.

The grant awards ceremony was held on 3 March 2016 at the Pacific Hotel in Ouagadougou.

The South Africa SWITCH Africa Green grants were officially awarded to the six successful applicants from South Africa in a ceremony held on 15 December 2015 at the Southern Sun Hotel in Pretoria, South Africa. During the second call for proposals, 14 concept notes were received from South Africa and, after preliminary screening and evaluation, six organizations from South Africa qualified for SWITCH Africa Green grants (see table). The beneficiaries received more than USD 1.4 million for various projects related to the green economy and sustainable development.

The grantees from the second call for proposal were given in-depth training on the monitoring and evaluation guidelines for the SWITCH Africa Green programme. The training sessions were held in South Africa on 26–27 November 2015. During the training, the grantees and their partners were first taken through the grant support agreement signed with the United Nations Office for Project Services and then given in-depth training on the project monitoring and evaluation requirements.

The grantees from the second call for proposal were given in-depth training on the monitoring and evaluation guidelines for the SWITCH Africa Green programme. The training sessions were held in Mauritius on 12–13 November 2015. During the training, the grantees and their partners were first taken through the grant support agreement signed with the United Nations Office for Project Services and then given in-depth training on the project monitoring and evaluation requirements.

SWITCH Africa grants were officially awarded to the successful applicants from Mauritius in an exceptional ceremony held on 12 November 2015 in the boardroom of the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Disaster and Beach Management. The grants were awarded by Mr. Eric Vanhalewyn, First Secretary and Head of Section for the Delegation of the European Union to Mauritius, and Mr. Raj Dayal, Minister for Environment, Sustainable Development and Disaster and Beach Management.

At a grant award ceremony held at the Imperial Golf Hotel, Entebbe, on 27 July 2015, the Minister of State for Environment, Ms. Flavia Nabugera Munaaba, together with European Union representative Ms. Jalia Kobusinge, officially awarded grants to the successful SWITCH Africa Green applicants in Uganda.

Ghana

The Ghana SWITCH Africa Green grants were officially awarded to the five successful applicants during an exceptional grant awards ceremony held on 21 July 2015 at the Orchid Hospitality Management Services Conference Room in Accra.

In July 2015, over $3.4 million in SWITCH Africa Green grants was awarded for projects in Kenya, Ghana and Uganda. In November 2015, additional awards of over $3 million were granted for 16 projects in Burkina Faso, Mauritius, and South Africa, as well as $4.5 million for 3 multi-country projects covering all six pilot countries. Table 1 lists the grants awarded in Burkina Faso, Mauritius and South Africa and the multi-country grants, and table 2 lists the grants for Kenya, Ghana and Uganda.

The second call for proposals for SWITCH Africa Green, covering Burkina Faso, Mauritius and South Africa, was launched on 23 March 2015, through the website of the United Nations Office for Project Services after the approval by the United Nations Environment Programme and the European Union of the grant support agreement and the guidelines and templates for the concept notes and full application.