Modise Urges Green And Blue Entrepreneurs To Build Confidence And Prove Bankable Impact For Sustainable Growth

Modise says those with the power to do so must build their confidence and mindset, unlock practical skills and financial resources, and create supportive ecosystems that reward impact.

1. Inspiring confidence

First things first, the entrepreneurs shaping the continent's future need confidence.

"Many entrepreneurs in the green and blue economy do not lack ideas. They lack (the) belief that their ideas are bankable, scalable and worthy of investments," she says.

"They are often told directly or indirectly that sustainability is a nice-to-have; something for NGOs and not a serious business imperative.

"We need to change that narrative. We must consistently communicate that green and blue businesses are not charity projects.”

"They are future-proof businesses that add value to sustainable management."

2. Practical skills

To take green and blue entrepreneurs from ambition to action, there needs to be more practical advice with real-world relevance.

Modise believes these programmes should teach how to pass a solar project so that the business survives, how to negotiate supply contracts, how to pitch to investors in plain language, how to measure both profit and impact without getting lost in the complicated frameworks, and simplify access to finance.

She goes on to advise green and blue entrepreneurs that they need to be able to articulate, especially to investors, the value they're bringing with their ideas and businesses.

"Passion for the planet is not enough to build a business. Entrepreneurs need financial literacy, market access, technical skills and the ability to navigate regulations and funding processes," says Modise.

"Too often, we run workshops that inspire and do not really equip.

"We talk about climate change but not about pricing models. We talk about sustainability, but not about customer acquisition. We talk about impact but not about cash flows."

Modise also advises that funding requests be simplified so that these entrepreneurs aren't overwhelmed and discouraged by 30-page forms that need complex compliance requirements and global responses from their businesses.

"Enabling the next generation means designing funding that matches the reality of early stage entrepreneurs; smaller tickets, faster decisions, blended finance that sets both financial return and measurable environmental impact and perhaps, most importantly, patient capital that understands and builds a sustainable business.

"It sometimes takes longer but creates deeper and more resilient value."

3. Creating an ecosystem of support

The final step in enabling the next generation of green and blue entrepreneurs? Creating an ecosystem of support that helps them navigate the business world.

"They succeed in ecosystem networks of mentors, customers, regulators, investors and peers who make it feel easier to start, test, fail, pivot and grow," she says.

She believes cross-sector collaboration can make this ecosystem a reality — from procurement systems being open to buying from green startups to universities encouraging students to commercialise climate innovations.

"Investors cannot do it alone. Universities cannot do it alone. Corporations cannot do it alone, but together, we can do more," she says.

In closing, she calls on practitioners to do more, as they are sometimes the problem.

"We are the incubators and accelerators that have cookie-cutter programmes, but not necessarily understanding the entrepreneurs themselves and the opportunities.

"We are the financial institutions that collect all this global funding because there's a lot of money.

"But we don't dispense it or create a system in which you can actually help these entrepreneurs get into place and ready."

Don't be a poet, be a plumber

Modise challenged investors and policymakers not to be poets, but to be plumbers in enabling the continent's blue and green entrepreneurs to flourish truly.

"Let's get our hands dirty. Let's not be scared of solving the real problems.

"The next generation of African green and blue entrepreneurs needs us to clear the pathways, reduce barriers and open doors that have historically been closed.

"If there is a time to make a difference and a change on our African continent, it is now.

"We might have missed the gold rush, the oil rush, but now we have the green and the blue rush, and it's time for African entrepreneurs to stand up and contribute towards the continent," she said.