Developing countries urgently need to accelerate the adoption of solutions that can mitigate against and adapt to our changing climate. One of the proven and viable mechanisms to realise this ambition is to harness the sustainable development opportunities in cleantech clusters.
The concept of clusters is hardly new; it has been explored for decades in the European industrial development landscape, but building cleantech clusters in the developing world requires an adapted approach that takes into account the competing local priorities and institutional capacities. The establishment of a cleantech cluster agency is a vital ingredient to catalysing action as this independent intermediary organisation is able to help coordinate the local ecosystem and the firms’ collective efficiency. The cluster agency should prioritise its activities on creating jobs and attracting investment as this helps reduce some of the political tension in the system. Furthermore, the cluster agency can support the development of a project pipeline for grant makers and funders, and improve the overall coherence of the funding environment. GreenCape and Clean, are members of the International Cleantech Network and are reputable cleantech cluster agencies that have replicated in other regions in the developing world with success. They are looking to scale their efforts in order to tackle the dual challenge of climate and development in the developing world.
As members of the ICN, GreenCape and Clean have partnered together to publish a white paper titled Solving climate and development challenges in the developing world through cleantech clusters. It can be downloaded by clicking the download button above this post.