Page 42 - Islands Business October 2023 edition

Green Entrepreneurs Inspire Innovation and

Sustainability at Pacific Islands Entrepreneurship Expo

Pacific Greenpreneurs Regional Accelerator Pitch Finalists, business support organisations and GGGI celebrate the event with Guest of Honour, Hon. Filimoni Vosarogo

were awarded a 6-month virtual membership for Greenhouse Coworking Jonathan further remarked, “GGGI’s Pacific Greenpreneurs Accelerator
community, connecting them with a wider regional network and learning and program has built my capacity in terms of training, knowledge, networking, and
coaching opportunities. writing business plan.” He shared how he wants to be a model to other green
and blue enterprises in the Pacific by creating employments, sharing knowledge,
• Esther Sione Daniels, Te’hine Trend (PNG) experience, and networking skills. “I want to thank GGGI and QFFD for
Te’hine Trend creates a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion by training establishing such platform for us struggling businesses in the Pacific so that we
women, girls, and people with disabilities in textile hand printing, garment can come together, be part of a networking ecosystem, strengthen our capacity
designing, tailoring, and jewelry-making to empower them to earn income to building and learn from one another.”
sustain their livelihoods. The Pacific Islands Entrepreneurship Expo, held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in
Suva, Fiji was jointly organized by GGGI, United Nations Capital Development
• Masa Kawaguchi, South Pacific Mozuku Tonga Ltd (Tonga) Fund, United Nations Development Programme, International Labor Organization,
South Pacific Mozuku sustainably farms and supplies coveted mozuku Asian Development Bank and ygap. This two-day event gathered around 300 in-
seaweed to overseas customers in food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and person attendees and 50 virtual participants to facilitate networking between
cosmetics industries. entrepreneurs, investors, and other like-minded stakeholders and showcase
Top left: Winner, Ms. Talei Tora pitching her business, Top right: Winner, Ms. Talei Tora of GingerLei Fiji on the left and 1st runner-up, Mr. Kaiea Ribanataake innovative entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship ecosystem players through
of Clean Spatial Solutions from Kiribati on the right with Fiji’s Acting Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises, Hon. Filimoni Vosarogo. • Jonathan Inapelo, Daulo Commodities Cooperative Society Limited (PNG) booth displays.
Bottom left: Staff from GingerLei Fiji pose with selfie frame & Bottom right: Mr. Kaiea Ribanataake showcasing his booth display. Daulo aggregates and sells onion bulbs and coffee from member farms, The Chief Guest, Fiji’s Acting Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, Small and
increasing production and enable rural farmers who mostly rely on inherited Medium Enterprises, Hon. Filimoni Vosarogo, hailed entrepreneurs as catalysts
subsistence farming to grow into commercial farms, addressing poverty and for economic growth and social development, who combine creative spirit,
building resilience to environmental, social, and economic issues through courage, and business acumen to overcome significant odds and help improve
Talei Tora, co-founder of GingerLei Fiji, Fiji’s very own ginger beer company and sustainable livelihoods.” He thanked GGGI and QFFD for their support for climate smart agribusiness. standards of living in the country and region.
emerged victorious in winning the best pitch at the Global Green Growth Institute green entrepreneurs in Fiji and the region. In the opening session, Ms. Katerina Syngellakis, GGGI Regional Managing
(GGGI) Pacific Greenpreneurs Accelerator Regional Pitch Finals. GingerLei Fiji, When asked what the win meant to her and her business, Talei said “It has • Watesoni Nata Jr., The Merch (Fiji) Director for the Pacific remarked, “this event is not just about acquiring skills
based in Wailoaloa, Nadi, Fiji with their small batch brewery, is committed to been a beautiful journey of labor and love. It was quite an emotional moment for The Merch is an online retail market for local homeware that stocks general and knowledge, it is also about fostering a sense of community and collaboration
addressing plastic pollution through sustainable packaging, reducing imports, me to win and I am grateful for all the love and support towards our business.” second-hand, good-as-new household products such as furniture, bedding, among our entrepreneurs. I am confident that the bonds forged here, and the
and providing a healthy, all-natural, low-sugar beverage for the Fijian non- She expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to be part of PGEN’s Accelerator power tools, kitchen appliances and more imported from Australia and New connections made will be catalysts for future partnerships and collaborations
alcoholic ginger beer market. program and pitch her business to investors and other entrepreneurs. Zealand. that will undoubtedly contribute to the growth of businesses across the Pacific
“Our ginger beer is an all-natural probiotic good for gut health, which is Kaiea Ribanataake Awira of Clean Spatial Solution (CSS) from Kiribati secured Islands.”
made with locally sourced ingredients [including ‘moli’ (citrus), lemongrass, the first runner-up spot. Kaiea established his business to offer sustainable waste The Demo Day is part of the Pacific Green Entrepreneurs Network (PGEN) United Nations Resident Coordinator to Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu
guava, sugarcane, and ginger], which benefits both the local economy and the management solutions through waste collection, recycling, and repurposing, and Pacific Greenpreneurs Accelerator program which provides capacity-building & Vanuatu, Dirk Wagener, stated in his recorded remarks, “The Pacific Islands
environment. We hope to inspire other businesses to adopt sustainable practices also perform consultancy work in other technical areas including geospatial towards investment-readiness and access to finance for growth-stage green Entrepreneurship Expo is not just about individual businesses. It is about
and reduce their environmental impact. We are taking small steps towards a science. enterprises across the region. regional cooperation, meaningful impact and a shared commitment to shaping a
healthier and more sustainable future for Fiji, our Blue Pacific, and our planet,” Talei and Kaiea both won an all-expense-paid study trip to Qatar jointly Watesoni Nata Jr. from The Merch, Fiji expressed how accessibility to finance in brighter future. Increased collaboration harnesses the potential of entrepreneurs,
stated Talei. organized by GGGI and QFFD alongside green entrepreneurs from the Pacific Fiji is a huge issue for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises that want to start or empowering them to address environmental concerns and social impact and
GGGI’s Pacific Green Entrepreneurs Network, a three-year regional project and Caribbean regions, to connect with relevant market actors from Qatar and scale up. For that, he thanked GGGI for its Pacific Greenpreneurs Accelerator and economic growth simultaneously.”
funded by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), hosted the Pacific on a global stage, exchange knowledge and inspire their fellow Greenpreneurs Incubator programs supporting enterprises that want to scale their businesses. The Pacific Islands Entrepreneurship Expo included workshops and panel
Greenpreneurs Accelerator Regional Pitch Finals (Demo Day) as part of the first- to reach new heights. Jonathan Inapelo, Founding Chairman & Director of Daulo Commodities discussions on business modelling, access to finance and investor-readiness,
ever Pacific Islands Entrepreneurship Expo, held on the 30th - 31st of August Obed Timakata, co-founder of Organic Fish + Farm Mariculture Enterprise Cooperative Society Ltd (DCCSL) from Papua New Guinea explained that his and explored ways to incubate ideas into active projects that prioritize green
2023. The Demo Day featured seven national finalists representing five Pacific from Vanuatu, took away the second runner-up award, winning a 1-year Cooperative aims “to reduce poverty and create sustainable livelihood programs growth and the inclusion of more women in entrepreneurship. It also provided
Island countries (Fiji, PNG, Tonga, Vanuatu, Kiribati) pitching their businesses in virtual membership of Greenhouse Coworking. His business focuses on the in our communities, giving equal opportunities to women farmers and connect a platform for Pacific entrepreneurs to engage directly with government and
front of a four-member judging panel, investors, interested stakeholders, and development of sustainable, profitable, and scalable livelihood initiatives by disabled farmers into the market so they get equal opportunity in terms of development partners on issues that matter to them the most.
over one hundred attendees. growing high-potential marine species (sea cucumber, green caviar, sea urchins, income”.
The Guest of Honor, Hon. Filimoni Vosarogo, presented the awards to the etc.) in support of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). “We use a market-based
participants. In his congratulatory message, Mr. Vosarogo remarked, “Micro, approach in breeding high potential marine species for grow-out in the MPAs to
Small and Medium Enterprises and Entrepreneurs in Fiji and the wider Pacific restock our oceans and to maintain its ecosystem services as a carbon sink and For up-to-date information on related entrepreneurship support for socially
are vital to our economies as sources of jobs, growth, and innovative service its ecological balance,” stated Obed.
delivery. Their very presence enriches our economy and helps build resilience The remaining Pacific Greenpreneurs Accelerator Regional Pitch Finalists and environmentally impactful green businesses, visit pacificgreenpreneurs.com

42 Islands Business, October 2023
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