A one million pounds initiative aimed at accelerating Africa’s green transition, industrialisation and entrepreneurship development has been launched at the International Conference on African Development 2026 (iCAD2026) in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Known as the £1MPlus Project, the initiative seeks to strengthen collaboration among universities, businesses, investors and public institutions to support applied research, capacity building, entrepreneurship and green enterprise development across Africa and the diaspora.
The Head of Branding and Partnership, Ghana Scholarly Society (GSS), organisers of the conference, Dr Samuel Kusi, disclosed this in an interview with the Daily Graphic.
He said the £1MPlus Project would provide a platform for deepening industry-academia collaboration and facilitate the translation of research findings into practical solutions to address Africa’s development challenges.
He explained that the initiative would support innovation, enterprise creation and skills development while helping to attract investment into emerging green sectors across the continent.
Dr Kusi, who is also an Associate Professor in Marketing at the University of Bradford, UK, said the project was unveiled during the three-day conference, which brought together policymakers, academics, business leaders, diplomats, investors and development practitioners to discuss practical pathways for inclusive and sustainable growth on the continent.
Held on the theme, “Green Transition, Inclusion and Industrialisation in Africa: Theory to Policy and Practice”, he said the conference examined how African countries could transform environmental challenges into opportunities for job creation, innovation and sustainable industrial growth.
Call for implementation
Dr Kusi said participants stressed the need for African countries to move beyond policy discussions and focus on implementing programmes that promote economic transformation and sustainable development.
He added that the discussions highlighted the importance of green finance, circular economy infrastructure, digital innovation, youth employment, women’s entrepreneurship and stronger public-private partnerships in achieving development goals.
He said speakers also underscored the role of universities in driving innovation, research and enterprise development and urged institutions to prioritise productivity and measurable impact.
Key contributors
Dr Kusi said among the key speakers were the Presidential Economic Advisor, Seth Terkper; Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Zita Sarbah Benson; the Executive Chairman of KGL Group, Alex Dadey; the Vice-Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University, Prof. Roderick Watkins, and the Vice-Chancellor of Accra Technical University, Prof. Amevi Acakpovi.
Others, he said, included the Director of International Business at the Jospong Group, Dr Alex Kumi-Larbi Jnr; Prof. Patience Abor of MountCrest University College, and President of the GSS, Dr Kweku Adams.
At the close of the conference, Dr Kusi said participants reaffirmed their commitment to promoting partnerships that would support Africa’s green transition and industrial development while creating decent jobs and sustainable economic opportunities.
