The Ghana Circular Economy Centre (GCEC) at Ho Technical University, has launched its 2025/2026 Piloting and Incubation Programme, opening applications for innovators seeking to develop and scale circular economy solutions.
The programme was officially launched on Monday, 24th November 2025 by the HTU Project Team, marking the beginning of a new cycle of support for sustainable innovation in Ghana.
Dr. Harrison Adjimah, the Project Team Lead, explained that the Circular Economy Innovation Pilot Programme is a national project aimed at incubating over 700 innovative circular economy technologies and business models across the country. It targets Ghana-based organizations and individuals—including women, youth, small-scale entrepreneurs, the private sector, and the informal sector.
The GCEC project involves multiple stakeholders, and the first phase focuses on the agriculture & agro-processing, plastics, and textiles sectors. While the Centre and Ho Technical University (the host institution) lead the overall incubation programme, KNUST, the OR Foundation, and UCC—serving respectively as the agriculture & agro-processing, textiles, and plastics value chain leads—will provide incubation support to innovators within their specific sectors.
Funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), with HTU as the host institution, the GCEC project aims to deepen Ghana’s transition toward a circular economy.
The Incubation Programme will identify and support high-impact entrepreneurs and projects to enable the country to harness the economic, social, and environmental opportunities of transitioning to a circular economy and to drive industrialization.
The application window remains open until Friday, 13th December 2025.
Innovators, youth groups, entrepreneurs, and enterprises with solutions that promote waste reduction, recycling, resource recovery, sustainable production, and circular business models are invited to apply.
Applicants may select from three development streams within the agriculture and agro-processing, plastics, and textiles sectors, or propose cross-cutting circular solutions:
- Stream 1: Idea Holders & Informal Sector
- Stream 2: Startups and Early-Stage Entrepreneurs
- Stream 3: Established Businesses at the Growth & Transformation Stage
Participants will receive technical assistance, hands-on mentorship, business development coaching, pilot and demonstration opportunities, and access to an extensive network of industry experts and development partners.
Dr. Jennifer Adaletey, Director in Charge of External Funds at HTU and the project’s administrative lead, highlighted that the programme is designed to support innovators through incubation, piloting, and market validation processes to help strengthen and scale their solutions.
The project team emphasized that as global interest in sustainable development continues to grow, the GCEC’s Incubation Programme presents a major opportunity for Ghana’s innovators to develop solutions that contribute to a greener, more circular future.
Dr. Harrison Adjimah officially declared the Ghana Circular Economy Incubation Programme duly launched and applications open. He highlighted the GCEC Project’s commitment to empowering innovators to build resilient, climate-friendly enterprises capable of creating jobs and driving sustainable development, speaking to a gathering at the GCEC Centre.
Prospective applicants can submit their entries through app.htu.edu.gh/gcecincubation.
For enquiries, the GCEC can be reached at gcec@htu.edu.gh or via 0243980209 / 0248772148 / 0240046054.