Applications

Micro-enterprises and start-ups will be eligible for financial support. To be eligible; 

• Enterprise must be Zambian-owned, operational in one of the industry foci of GREEN Tech4CE, graduating from a business support programme recognised by GREEN Tech4CE, a registered company with statutory obligations up to date (evidenced by provision of a TPIN certificate or business registration). 

• Have turnover below €40,000, and a commitment to basic health and safety and the provision of decent jobs. 

• Enterprises must have been operational for at least 12 months, evidenced by financial records (e.g. financial statements from a bank account or a mobile money account). 

• Enterprises with a demonstratable commitment to improving, through successful engagement with BDSPs recognised by GREEN Tech4CE, will be eligible to receive cash prizes to invest in (pre)feasibility and market studies, technical support, business formalisation and systems, training, working capital, building refurbishment, product launch costs and marketing, supporting applications for trademarks/IP for new products, equipment and staff to support the set up and growth of their firm. Prizes will range from €2,000 - €50,000. 

• Company contributions pledged to the project pitched for the Business Growth & Innovation Competition and fees paid for training will be recognised as match for any prizes awarded.   

Small enterprises will be eligible for financial support. To be eligible; 

• Enterprises must be 100% Zambian-owned with a turnover between €40,000 – €400,000 per year. 

• Be operational in one of the industry foci and geographic clusters of GREEN Tech4CE, graduating from a recognised business support programme, and have a commitment to basic health and safety and providing decent jobs.  

• Must be a Registered Company; PLCs will not be eligible.  

• They must have been operational for at least 2 years in Zambia and have Audited Financial Statements (AFS) from the most recent financial year if the grant requested is more than EUR 50,000.  

• Companies requesting EUR 50,000 or less will need to provide financial statements prepared by an accountant recognised by the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants along with current management accounts for the year-to-date, a cashflow and evidence of tax paid on profits.  

• Average size of financial support will be around €50,000 over a maximum duration of 24 months. There will be a co-financing requirement of at least 25%. Support will be delivered using a Milestone-Based Payment Mechanism. 

Medium enterprises will be eligible for financial support. To be eligible; 

• Medium-enterprises must be at least 51% Zambian-owned,  

• Be operational in one of the industry foci and geographic clusters of GREEN Tech4CE, have a turnover between €400,000 - €10,000,000 per year and have a commitment to basic health and safety and providing decent jobs.  

• They must be a Registered Company; PLCs will not be eligible.  

• They must be operational for at for at least 3 years uninterrupted in Zambia and have Audited Financial Statements for the previous two years. However, in the situation where the firm is a joint venture between an EU-based company and a Zambian company, the track record and financial statements, cashflows of the respective parent companies can be provided along with evidence of tax paid on profits.  

• Average size of financial support will be around €250,000 and range from €200,000 to €1,000,000 over a maximum duration of 36 months.  

• There will be a co-financing requirement of at least 50%, with the exception of financial support focused on (pre)feasibility studies where the match funding should be a minimum of 25%. Financial support will be delivered using a Milestone-Based Payment Mechanism.  

• Note that the maximum grant proposed is greater than that proposed in the call for proposal to allow for potentially supporting a major CapEx project – for example a large-scale solar heating project to provide steam and water to a cluster of manufacturing companies replacing coal, or a large-scale waste recycling and processing facility. Following the scoping studies, limits will be confirmed. 

Fintech, local venture capital, impact investment entities will be eligible for financial support. To be eligible providers must; 

• Be at least 51% Zambian-owned, and have the potential to finance firms in the industry foci and geographic clusters of GREEN Tech4CE with a commitment to providing decent jobs.  

• They must have been operational for at least 2 years in Zambia and have Audited Financial Statements (AFS) from the most recent financial year if turnover is greater than €40,000.  

• They must be a Registered Company; PLCs will not be eligible.  

• Grants will be in the range €50,000 - €500,000 over a maximum of 24 months. There will be a co-financing requirement of at least 50% for providers with a turnover > €400,000 and 25% requirement for smaller providers.  

• Financial support will be delivered using a Milestone-Based Payment Mechanism. Note that the maximum grant proposed is greater than that proposed in the call for proposals to allow for potentially supporting the set-up of a Zambian venture capital fund to invest in companies with CGD innovations and growth potential. Following the scoping studies, limits will be confirmed.  

• The financial support can cover (pre)feasibility and market studies, technical support, mentoring and training, working capital including first loss provision, equipment, software and staff to support development and piloting new green financial products that are aligned to the needs of start-ups (including women and youth led) and are able to link up with other green financing schemes; and/or developing and piloting new financing products for SMEs, particularly at early stage or with limited assets, to support business consolidation and growth. 

Business Development Service Providers will be eligible for financial support. To be eligible providers must; 

• Be at least 51% Zambian-owned and have the potential to support firms in the industry foci and geographic clusters of GREEN Tech4CE.  

• They must have been operational for at least 2 years in Zambia and have Audited Financial Statements (AFS) from the most recent financial year if turnover is greater than €40,000.  

• They must be a Registered Company; PLCs will not be eligible.  

• Grants will be in the range €10,000 - €300,000 over a maximum of 24 months. There will be a co-financing requirement of at least 50% for providers with a turnover > €400,000 and 25% requirement for smaller providers.  

• Financial support will be delivered using a Milestone-Based Payment Mechanism.  

• For BDSPs financial support can cover, technical support for curriculum development, mentoring for the BDSP, subsidies for learners, equipment, software, refurbishment of learning spaces and materials and staff to support new /updated services such as advice on management systems, market analysis and marketing plan development, financial analysis, green finance and development of green and circular economy business model, and to use innovative/alternative support modalities, such as mentorships, helpdesk, distance learning.