Yesterday, the SEED South Africa Symposium 2015 was held in Johannesburg in cooperation with the 1st International Conference on “Innovation for Sustainability under Climate Change and Green Growth/Economy”, which aimed to contribute knowledge and practical solutions to the standing global challenge of climate change and its potential solution through the emerging green growth/economy transition process.

The Symposium, which brought together over 100 entrepreneurs, practitioners, donors and policy-makers, looked at how entrepreneurship can provide solutions for climate change and green growth. At the event SEED also announced the SEED Accelerator recipients, SEED Alumni that will receive an advanced support package that stretches over a period of one year and includes one-to-one advice as well as a financial contribution. The SEED Accelerator in South Africa is made possible through the kind support of the Government of Flanders.

The Accelerator recipients in South Africa this year are:

• Botanica: Botanica Natural Products produces an organic extract of Bulbine frutescens, a traditional medicinal plant, providing employment opportunities in rural Limpopo.

• GreenABLE: greenABLE recycles empty printer cartridges, employing and training previously unemployed persons with disabilities.

In addition to the interactive sessions and the enterprises’ marketplace, the event was also the launchpad for the SEED Special Recognition Award public voting. Ten years ago, 5 enterprises received the first SEED Awards. Since then an additional 170 innovative social and environmental start-up enterprises have been honoured for their innovative approaches to advance sustainable development. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the SEED Awards this year, SEED presents a Special Recognition Award for the most outstanding SEED Winner. For this occasion, SEED invites YOU, the public, to decide which of the top ten shortlisted SEED Winners should be honoured especially for their contribution to advance sustainable development. You can vote online by clicking here. The Winner of the Special Recognition Award will be invited to partake in the SEED Africa Symposium on 9-10 September 2015 in Nairobi, and will be honoured on stage by the UNEP Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw.