Startup Discovery Africa (SDA), a leading Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) innovation consultancy, has officially announced the winners of the highly anticipated Climate Champion Competition Ghana 2026.
Held at the British Council in Accra on the 22 of May, 2026, the pitch competition marked the culmination of the intensive SDA Venture Builder Program (Cohort 2), showcasing the region’s most promising climate innovators.
Organized in strategic partnership with the Autodesk Foundation and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and Australian Aid, alongside support from Sahara Impact Ventures, the initiative is designed to equip, nurture, and fund sustainability-focused African entrepreneurs driving climate mitigation, adaptation, and a Just Transition.
Following an opening welcome address and program overview delivered by Natasha Dadzie, SDA Program Manager, Africa, an elite panel of judges evaluated the cohort’s groundbreaking pitches. The afternoon also featured a keynote address by Dr. Wanida Lewis, CEO and Founder of Crescendo Foods LBG, who challenged the room to rethink the nature of African climate innovation:
“The founders you will see pitch today are not social enterprises asking for charity. They are building market solutions to one of the largest structural challenges of our time. The returns, financial, social, environmental, are not in tension with each other. They are aligned.”
Announcing the 2026 Climate Champions
Out of an exceptional group of climate-tech innovators, three standout businesses were selected for their profound environmental impact, scalability, and technical commercial capability:
Grand Winner: Foovante Global (Agri-Tech)
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Foovante Global has developed a revolutionary technology platform dedicated to carbon credit verification and market access. By lowering validation costs and increasing institutional integrity, the platform enables smallholder farmers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and large commercial climate projects to accurately verify emissions reductions and carbon removal.
1st Runner-Up: AgriMercarb (Circular Economy)
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Addressing agricultural and municipal sustainability, AgriMercarb transforms organic waste streams into high-value agricultural assets. Utilizing Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL), the venture processes organic waste into premium-grade animal feed and nutrient-dense organic fertilizer.
2nd Runner-Up: Cogam Manufacturing Ghana Ltd. (Clean Energy)
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Tackling energy poverty and post-harvest challenges, Cogam produces premium stainless, smokeless charcoal briquettes sourced completely from agricultural waste. Furthermore, they have pioneered a breakthrough post-harvest storage technology that functions entirely without electricity using charcoal cooling principles.
Driving Africa’s Net-Zero Future
“Startup Discovery Africa works collaboratively with the public and private sectors to address critical challenges around climate change, promote gender parity, and foster good governance,” stated Mandy Nyarko, Managing Partner of Sahara Impact Ventures, during her closing remarks. “These winners exemplify the homegrown ingenuity required to accelerate a Just Transition and help African communities achieve tangible Net-Zero realities.”
The cohort featured a diverse lineup of sustainable models across the Agribusiness and Circular Economy ecosystems, including Kodu Technology (banana/plantain fiber sanitary pads), Pure Lube (cashew nut shell waste grease), ECOverse Ltd. (rice husk pavement bricks), Bakingteen (IoT-monitored smart solar dryers), LbH (farm data digital infrastructure), Farm-Estates (AI-driven vertical hydroponics), Dereal Bags (eco-friendly waste-to-packaging supply chains), and AppCyclers (AI waste sourcing marketplace).
To connect with the winning startups or discover future cohort collaborations, explore more at www.startupdiscovery.co/africa.
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