Delivered in partnership with Village Capital, it is designed to close the gender gap in Zambia’s tech and innovation ecosystem by combining intensive bootcamp training, peer-learning cohorts, and structured acceleration support. Participants receive hands-on coaching to strengthen their business models, improve financial management, and prepare for growth and investment. Now in its sixth cohort, the programme has attracted over 150 applications to date and supported 30 women-led microbusinesses through intensive programming. Cumulative results include over USD 24,000 in increased participant revenue, over USD 22,000 in increased profitability, more than 500 new customers acquired by supported businesses, and 58 direct jobs generated. With a campaign reach of 3.4 million and a 100% Net Promoter Score among participants, the programme is one of BongoHive’s most impactful and visible initiatives. Working through a structured engagement model, BongoHive conducts ecosystem and stakeholder mapping, designs and delivers a targeted training curriculum, and facilitates SME access to relevant financial services and institutions. The programme aims to onboard 150 SMEs onto a dedicated digital platform, equip them with business and financial literacy, and connect them to local financial institutions creating a pipeline of supplier-ready enterprises that support Lumwana’s local procurement goals while contributing to the long-term economic development of the communities surrounding the mine.

The programme builds the capacity of local SMEs to meet the procurement, compliance, and operational standards required to become verified suppliers to one of Zambia’s largest copper mines. It addresses a critical gap in Zambia’s mining supply chain: the disconnect between the demand for local suppliers and the readiness of local businesses to meet those requirements. Working through a structured engagement model, BongoHive conducts ecosystem and stakeholder mapping, designs and delivers a targeted training curriculum, and facilitates SME access to relevant financial services and institutions. The programme aims to onboard 150 SMEs onto a dedicated digital platform, equip them with business and financial literacy, and connect them to local financial institutions creating a pipeline of supplier-ready enterprises that support Lumwana’s local procurement goals while contributing to the long-term economic development of the communities surrounding the mine.

The programme runs across Lusaka and the Copperbelt, guiding entrepreneurs through a three-stage pathway: a Design Lab, an Incubation phase, and an Acceleration phase. Each stage is designed to deepen founders’ understanding of their market, refine their business models, and strengthen their capacity to attract investment and grow sustainably. Co-funded by the European Union and implemented by BongoHive as Lead Business Development Service Provider (BDSP), GreenTech4CE runs from December 2025 to February 2027 with a total budget of EUR 197,730. The programme has already onboarded 40 participants across Lusaka and the Copperbelt through the initial bootcamp and Design Lab phase, with the strongest cohort members advancing into incubation. The programme also supported a delegation of Zambian green-economy SMEs to GITEX Africa 2026 in Marrakech, where Koloso Limited won the Supernova pitch competition, securing a USD 10,000 prize — a landmark result for Zambian entrepreneurship on the continental stage. Working through a structured engagement model, BongoHive conducts ecosystem and stakeholder mapping, designs and delivers a targeted training curriculum, and facilitates SME access to relevant financial services and institutions. The programme aims to onboard 150 SMEs onto a dedicated digital platform, equip them with business and financial literacy, and connect them to local financial institutions creating a pipeline of supplier-ready enterprises that support Lumwana’s local procurement goals while contributing to the long-term economic development of the communities surrounding the mine.

BongoHive serves as an implementing partner alongside Impact Hub, providing technical assistance to help hubs transition from grant-dependent operations toward commercially sustainable models anchored in business incubation and market access. The project recognises that lasting impact requires hubs to generate their own revenue by serving private sector clients corporates, financial institutions, and telecoms while maintaining youth and women as their primary programme beneficiaries. BongoHive has conducted field assessments in Chongwe and Kitwe, facilitated co-design sessions with hub stakeholders, and is developing an Operational Manual to guide hub governance, sustainability planning, and programme delivery. The project runs through 2027 and is focused on building the institutional foundation for entrepreneurship ecosystems that can outlast donor funding — hubs that are self-sustaining, community-rooted, and commercially viable. Working through a structured engagement model, BongoHive conducts ecosystem and stakeholder mapping, designs and delivers a targeted training curriculum, and facilitates SME access to relevant financial services and institutions. The programme aims to onboard 150 SMEs onto a dedicated digital platform, equip them with business and financial literacy, and connect them to local financial institutions creating a pipeline of supplier-ready enterprises that support Lumwana’s local procurement goals while contributing to the long-term economic development of the communities surrounding the mine.