The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (Taitra) has announced a Sh3 million competition aimed at finding innovative green products and solution use.
The top three winners of the competition will pocket 20,000 dollars (Sh2.8 million) and a fully sponsored trip to Taiwan for the awards ceremony.
Taitra president and CEO Simon Wang called on eco-conscious businesses and entrepreneurs across Africa to submit their applications for a chance to win a prize in the competition.
He spoke during the launch of the competition in Nairobi.
The competition dubbed "Go Green with Taiwan" is aimed at identifying and celebrating cutting-edge green products and solutions that have the potential to make a positive impact on the environment.
Taitra is a non-profit trade-promoting organization which was founded in 1970. It is looking for competitors to submit their entries based on five areas.
Wang said the organisation is sponsored by the Taiwan government and industry organisations where it assists enterprises in expanding their global reach.
The judges in the competition will be looking for entries and a winner to be decided based on a wide range of environmental challenges including renewable energy and energy efficiency, sustainable waste management, pollution prevention and control.
"They will also be looking at green building and construction and sustainable transportation," Wang said.
Proposals will be evaluated based on resonance with the public, feasibility, innovation and integration of Taiwanese green products and solutions.
"Each category carries an equal weight of 25 per cent ensuring a holistic assessment on the proposal's merits," Wang said.
The competition has two stages where the applicants will need to submit a brief proposal outlining their green products or solutions. Those shortlisted will be invited to submit a more detailed proposal and participate in a pitch session.
Wang called for submissions before the August 31, 2024 deadline via Https://go-green.growthpad.co.ke/- Https://nairobi.taiwantrade.com/-
Taitra is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan and has a team of 1300 specialists who operate in five local offices in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung all in the East Asian country.
It has 63 branches worldwide.
In Kenya, the organization is based at Taiwan Trade Centre in Nairobi where it promotes Taiwanese products and provides free services to business people in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Seychelles, Comoros and Somalia.