Morocco hosts new centre to drive climate innovation across the region
The Emerging Business Factory in Marrakech now begins hosting the inaugural Climate Entrepreneurship Coalition (CCE) centre thanks to a partnership with the US State Department, the Middle East Foundation and the Elsa & Peter Soderberg Charitable Foundation and Islamic Relief USA.
As reported by Morocco World News, the centre is a groundbreaking creative space designed to empower climate-focused entrepreneurs and accelerate the deployment of low-carbon solutions across the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
In the famous tourist city of Marrakech, the CCE centre, officially opened on 12 December, represents a fundamental step towards combating the global climate crisis through innovation and economic empowerment.
The urgency of tackling climate change together has spurred an effort to transform energy production and consumption. As a result, investments in clean energy have increased from less than 50 billion dollars to more than 250 billion dollars a year over the last decade, according to figures from the International Energy Agency reported by the Moroccan newspaper. The international body also expects cumulative investment in the energy sector to approach almost 17 trillion dollars between 2012 and 2035.
In order to facilitate this transition to clean and renewable energy, the US State Department launched the Coalition for Climate Entrepreneurship (CCE) during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
The CCE is a public-private partnership that brings together public and private sector actors such as Salesforce, LinkedIn, General Electric (GE), ARM, MassChallenge, among others, with the goal of driving economic empowerment and climate solutions in developing countries.
As Morocco World News notes, from 11-15 December, the CCE Hub in Marrakech hosted an incubator, becoming a hub for emerging entrepreneurs to forge solutions that address both the climate crisis and skills development.
Interactive workshops, coaching sessions and project presentations by innovative start-ups were also held, ending with the selection of the most promising companies for further mentoring and training.
The CCE Hub makerspace in Marrakech offers climate-focused entrepreneurs access to cutting-edge hardware and software, a collaborative community and essential resources.
Over the next 24 months, dozens of companies from the Middle East and North Africa are expected to interact with the CCE Hub, driving their strategies towards sustainability and market impact.
The CCE Hub in Marrakech joins its predecessor in Accra, Ghana, which opened its doors last February. This network of CCE Hubs provides spaces for young entrepreneurs to pioneer sustainable solutions, exchange ideas and refine their innovations.
Moreover, the hubs are not isolated entities - as more are connected, the labs will come together, sharing ideas and collaboration to address the growing global climate crisis.
