SEED Green Recovery Ecosystem Builder Programme in Southern Africa.

Application Deadline: March 31st 2021

Multiple actors have recognised the critical importance of eco-inclusive small- and mediums-size enterprise (SMEs) during the Covid-19 pandemic, which are indeed impacted negatively by the pandemic effects, but which also continue to be the drivers of local green and inclusive growth. Hence, governments, donors and international players put them at the heart of their green and fair recovery packages. In this light, the effectiveness and efficiency of enterprise support programmes driven by intermediaries, accelerators, business advisors, tech hubs and support agencies will become a critical piece in upcoming recovery measures. The objective of this programme is to facilitate green recovery programme design of these organisations meanwhile contributing to building up resilience capacities of eco-inclusive enterprises.

Key Benefits for Participants

• Practical insights and improved performance through hands-on programme development
• Professional skill development at management, technical and soft-skill level
• Improved programme design integrating eco-inclusive enterprise and green recovery considerations
• Membership in a growing closed-door alumni network of Ecosystem Builders (online and offline)

• Peer-to-peer exchange with other like-minded experts
• Access to a comprehensive SEED Enterprise Resilience toolkit
• Certification of the programme completion

Target Group and Eligibility

The programme targets organisations who work at the interface of business, civil society and politics, and support business or entrepreneurial solutions in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The programme is designed to deliver impact at an organisational level. Although the training targets mid-level team members it will include input and time with at least one member of leadership committing to support the team members throughout the program to deliver outcomes at an organisational level. It further aims to advance impact at the programming and enterprise support level and therefore invites participants from two target groups:

Programming institutions: Government agencies, development partners, international organisations, donors, corporates and foundations.

Implementers: Incubators, accelerators, business advisors and hubs.

We recommend organisations to join in in a team of two people which allows to work in a small-team on the questions at hand. We strive to have a versatile group of participants balancing gender, stakeholder groups and organisational representation.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate that they have:

• a relevant academic degree in the areas of business, international development or natural resource management;
• experience or a strong interest in providing and/or developing enterprise support programmes;
• experience or a strong interest in working with eco-inclusive enterprises in the respective countries;
• experience or a strong interest working on development programming;
• English proficiency is a requirement.

Outline of the Programme

During the three months period of the programme, ecosystem builders will develop and refine their enterprise support programmes under the guidance of experts jointly with their peers. The case-based peer learning methodology will guarantee a hands-on, real life programme development experience leveraging the expertise of the selected ecosystem builders:

Part 1: Inception workshop: Building Next Level Green Recovery Enterprise Support Programmes – 19-22 April 2021 (digital four half-day programme): Understand where you are at with your programme. This workshop will set the stage for the upcoming months.

Part 2: Online peer-exchange sessions: Programme refinement in action in May 2021 (Two digital 2hr-Workshop sessions): Refine your programme in action. Use peer-learning insights and expert guidance to refine your programme.

Part 3: Transformation workshop: Demonstrating the impact of your Enterprise Support Programme from 7-9 June 2021 (digital three half-day programme): It’s time to leverage the benefits of your support programme. Exchange with your peers on the achievements so far and get insights on the critical milestones to maximise further your performance. Apply for this programme

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the SEED Green Recovery Ecosystem Builder Programme