Second year running, Viridis Africa is gaining ground as the
primary clean tech investment conference on the African continent.
The conference invites clean tech investors to listen to
business proposals from clean tech entrepreneurs in fields ranging from water
conservation, waste management, renewable energy, biomass, recycling to green
building and green chemistry.
This year, a number of international funders, such as the
Overseas Public Investment Corporation (OPIC) from the US and Osmosis
Investments from the UK are participating in the Johannesburg-based conference.
Other institutional funders that are participating in the
event include Lereko Metier, Trium Investments, the Industrial Development
Corporation, Business Partners, Sterling Waterford Securities, the National
Empowerment Fund and the Technology Innovation Agency.
Business case presenters include Bettalights, Biogaspro
Agama, St Francis Biomass, Biogas Power, Renewable Energy Corporation,
Gridcars, Facilicomm, Steenkampskraal Thorium, and the University of the
Witwatersrand.
Whilst projects range in size from few tens of millions to
hundreds of millions and greater, no sight is lost of smaller initiatives,
predominantly those that engage in new technology engagements, as a matter of
fact it is these initiatives that looking towards the future, may hold the
greatest commercial promise.
Not unlike the leapfrogging that Africa experience in respect
of the usage of mobile technologies and applications, whereby the usage of
landlines are negated, similar expectation can be called on the emergence of
clean technologies in the context of infrastructural development throughout the
continent. That is to say, where fundamental services such as the provision of
water and electricity, removal and recycling of waste, etc, is being introduced
the latest and most efficient technological solutions can and will be deployed.
Further, such solutions aside of their enviro-friendly and sustainable merits,
will also allow economically marginalized communities to perhaps participate in
certain economic benefits, thereby improving their life standards.
By the inherent quantum of the above said needs, it stands
to reason that scale of economies can be achieved and thus although new
technologies being introduced their cost can be well mitigated.
The organizers of the conference, Spindle Communications, in
order to ensure the greatest exposure and continuity of interest in the
projects and the available finance schemes have embarked on the introduction of
various toolsets that would allow participants from within the continent and
beyond to take proactive participation in seeking to fund other opportunities
not presented at the event via online forums on Linked and real-time i-meet-you
free application for mobile devices which allows participants and others to
engage each other.
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