Four Samoan green enterprises have graduated from the Pacific Greenpreneurs Incubator Program run in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute and the Samoa Business Hub.

The graduation ceremony last week showcased and celebrated the achievements and growth of Samoan Incubator program participants, coaches, mentors and others involved. 

The ceremony took place as a blended event, with Apia-based guests and participants attending in-person at the Samoa Business Hub and international attendees joining virtually. 

The Incubator program is part of the Pacific Green Entrepreneurs Network (PGEN) which is a three-year regional program funded by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and implemented by GGGI and the Samoa Business Hub. 

The inaugural Incubator program ran from October 2021 to February 2022, with six early-stage green enterprises from Samoa participating in local workshops, regional training, mentoring, coaching and networking. The Incubator program culminated in a Business Plan Competition, with two winners announced at the event.

Marina Keil from Big Tings and Olisana and Okalani Mariner from Onelook Studio are being awarded USD$5,000 each in seed grant funding to invest in their business growth. 

The graduation ceremony's guest of honour, Houlton Faasau of the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Labour (M.C.I.L.), spoke of his involvement with the program, providing training and advice to the Greenpreneurs on intellectual property and branding, and congratulated the graduates on their achievement. 

“You are all doing a marvellous job developing Samoa in an inclusive and sustainable manner through capacity building and empowering of our SMEs and in parallel empowering our youth, women and I believe also those with special needs in a very green way," he said in a statement.

Speaking on behalf of the graduating Greenpreneurs, Ms. Keil thanked GGGI, QFFD and the Samoa Business Hub and said the program has up-skilled them. 

“Equipped [Greenpreneurs] with knowledge and information on how to run a sustainable business that factors in our environment, that is really important because we only have one planet, so it’s important we do our part in saving planet Earth, our social responsibility and most importantly to run a profitable business.”

Thanking GGGI and QFFD, Samoa Business Hub C.E.O. Alatina Ioelu expressed his appreciation for the program and acknowledged the resilience of the Samoan Greenpreneurs.

“We cannot begin to fully understand the business challenges you are going through with the pandemic, but your efforts to put in an application in the beginning and to turn out today is a testament to your fighting spirit," he said in a statement. 

All the graduating enterprises are women-led and represent a variety of sectors including the circular economy, pest control, organic farming and mental health; namely Big Tings, Samoa Hygiene & Pest Control, LeMoana’s Organic Farming and Onelook Studio.

Applications for the 2022 Incubator and Accelerator programs will be open in coming months. For more information on the program, visit  www.pacificgreenpreneurs.com