Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary Prof Judi Wakhungu has encouraged women to apply for the NETFUND Green Innovations Award. Speaking at the launch of the award, Prof Wakhungu said that more women need to be empowered, especially at the grassroot level, as they are the foundation of the family.
This is the second time that the NETFUND Green Innovations Award is being held in Kenya to recognise green innovators. The awarding gala will be held mid next year.
Funded by the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Resources and managed by the National Environment Trust Fund, the NETFUND Green Innovations Award was launched in 2012 to enhance public awareness on green growth initiatives and support development of green enterprises in Kenya.
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Winners are awarded up to Ksh2,000,000 in funding. In addition to providing direct financial support for research, training and implementation, the programme offers participants networking and leadership development opportunities.
Last year, the programme attracted over 1,700 applicants from different regions in Kenya who are working in different areas of environmental conservation. The judging panel, consisting of representatives of a variety of research institutions, governmental and non-governmental organizations, selected three (3) winners per category from different parts of Kenya, all of whom showed a unique sense of personal mission and commitment to environment conservation and sustenance.
The winners’ interest areas ranged from energy saving methods like home-made hydro-electricity plants to waste management solutions and paper made from water hyacinth. Apart from the cash prize, the beneficiaries of NETFUND Green Innovations Award will walk away with technical and business support worth up to Ksh5 million offered through incubation.
The incubation programme provides technical and business support to the competitively selected applicants. NETFUND provides seed funding, incubation centre and investment platforms in order to link these businesses to potential investors.
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