The In-Country YouthADAPT Challenge Demo Day – Ghana took place on Thursday, 16th and Friday, 17th October 2025, at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, bringing together some of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs driving climate adaptation and green innovation.
The event was co-organized by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) under the African Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), with the support of Ashesi University’s Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC).
The programme aims to unlock climate finance, policy support, and technical assistance for youth-led enterprises developing climate adaptation solutions across Africa.
On Thursday, October 16, five Ghanaian businesses pitched their innovative ideas for a chance to receive a financial grant of up to USD 30,000. The enterprises included:
- Influx Groundnuts, represented by Hamza Mabruka
- Timoya Farms Ltd, represented by Moses Tiborgnan
- Dorthnoch Limited, represented by Queenstar Nsakie
- Food for All Africa Mobile Technologies Ltd, represented by Elijah Amoo Addo
- Eorganics, represented by Theophilus Delali Dumenyo
Each entrepreneur presented their climate adaptation solution before a distinguished five-member jury, comprising: - Huzaifa Abdulai, General Manager, Spry
- Gustav Nii Ayi Mokobi Aryee, Head, Commercial Banking – Fidelity Bank
- Andrew Akoto, Manager, Corporate Social Investments – Injaro Investment Advisors Limited
- Disraeli Asante-Darko, Head, Business Administration Department – Ashesi University
- Zelda Barnes, Business Growth Strategist
Speaking at the event, Hon. Emelia Arthur, Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, stated “Youth-led enterprises can drive innovation in climate-smart aquaculture systems, such as recirculating aquaculture systems, integrated multi-tropic aquaculture, and solar-powered hatcheries. I have no doubt that our young and vibrant entrepreneurs present here have worked tirelessly to develop viable solutions that will spearhead change in their communities and beyond.”
Gloria Gowal-Abiri, Programme Specialist (Youth, Jobs & Entrepreneurship) at the Global Center on Adaptation, emphasized the growing reach of the initiative, noting, “Since its inception, this challenge has supported 41 youth-led enterprises across three cohorts in 20 countries. We have two alumni in Ghana. We’ve supported these entrepreneurs with catalytic grant funding of $100,000. GCA has further refined the challenge into country additions as we aim to bring the impact closer to the ground and to unlock domestic private sector financing for adaptation. Through these country-level efforts, we aim to identify, support and scale enterprises, yielding resilience in critical sectors such as agriculture, water and infrastructure.”
Echoing this sentiment, Joseph Murabula, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC), emphasized the value of partnerships in scaling adaptation solutions across Africa.
“Our participation in the YouthADAPT Challenge aligns with KCIC’s Pan-African mission to nurture green innovators. By working alongside local partners such as the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre, we are strengthening knowledge exchange and empowering youth to transform climate challenges into sustainable business opportunities.”
The second day of the event, held on Friday, October 17, featured a panel discussion moderated by Innohub, with representatives from GCA, KCIC and GCIC. The discussion underscored the importance of collaboration and ecosystem partnerships in accelerating the growth of climate adaptation enterprises.
Panelists highlighted that shared learning, joint initiatives, and partnerships among institutions, investors, and innovators are critical for scaling impact and achieving climate resilience across Africa.
The In-Country YouthADAPT Challenge forms part of a broader effort under the African Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) co-led Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to accelerate climate adaptation actions across the continent while promoting youth empowerment and job creation.
Through this initiative, Ghana continues to position itself as a hub for climate-smart entrepreneurship, thereby nurturing the next generation of innovators building resilience in communities and industries most affected by climate change.
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that promotes adaptation to the impacts of climate change. It works for climate-proof development by instigating policy reforms and influencing investments made by international financial institutions and the private sector. The goal is to bring climate adaptation to the forefront of the global fight against climate change and ensure that it remains prominent.
Founded in 2018, GCA is the first international organisation to maintain dual headquarters in both the Global North in Rotterdam and in the Global South in Nairobi – underscoring the equal partnership between regions and the conviction that climate adaptation solutions must be co-designed and co-owned.
Its regional hubs in Abidjan, Dhaka, and Beijing leverage local expertise to pilot and scale context-specific approaches. Together, these centres ensure a continuous two-way exchange of knowledge and best practices that empower communities and drive resilient and inclusive growth worldwide.
About the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC)
The Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) is a leading organization in Africa providing incubation, capacity building, and financing to enterprises and entrepreneurs in the green economy. With a new Pan-African mandate, KCIC is dedicated to catalyzing climate entrepreneurship across the continent to build sustainable enterprises and resilient communities.
