Business competition

SIMUKA-PHAKAMA Is your business ready to leap and go green?

Short description

Decades of economic recession in Zimbabwe have led to a major shift from waged employment to informal economic activities. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in all sectors have suffered due to the deteriorated business environment and are unable to access finance and business development services, severely challenging their growth and sustainability.

The Simuka-Phakama Green enterPRIZE Innovation Challenge aims to identify green, growth oriented enterprises through annual competitions and provide the winners with technical support to develop and create more and greener jobs, while improving existing ones. Targeted SMEs will expand their green products and services through a business development programme supported by strategic alliances with business development service (BDS) providers and financial institutions. Besides the direct support provided to winners and runners-up, through the provision of awareness raising and training services, the Innovation Challenge aims to create a platform for the identification of green and growth oriented SMEs, particularly those led by women and youth, to drive the creation of green and decent jobs. In the long-term, this is expected to strengthen the sustainability of enterprises and offer a business case for Zimbabwe to go green.

This business competition is part of the Green enterPRIZE Innovation and Development Programme for Zimbabwe, supported by the Government of Sweden and being implemented by the ILO in collaboration with the Government of Zimbabwe, the Employers’ Confederation of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.

Read more or visit the Green EnterPRIZE website.