News » 10.09.2025 - Program supports sustainable flower relationship between Africa and Germany
Europe tops the world in sales of cut flowers. In Germany, roses are a particular favourite. One in five of them comes from Kenya. To promote sustainable cultivation at a Kenyan flower farm and at the same time help a German company enter the market, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has set up a joint investment project as part of the Energy Export Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs.
Many German providers in the climate-friendly energy sector would like to invest in developing countries and emerging economies but are put off by the risk. This is where the Project Development Programme comes in: a team at GIZ is researching the energy needs of industrial, commercial and agricultural businesses in African countries and how these can be met in a climate-friendly way. If a local company is interested, they develop a financially viable project and search the database of the Energy Export Initiative to identify a suitable German company. The program thus combines development cooperation with private sector involvement.
Solar energy instead of diesel generators
One such African company is Simbi Roses, a Kenyan flower farm to the north-east of Nairobi. Electricity costs in Kenya are among the highest in Africa. What is more, production chains are frequently disrupted by power outages, which are often bridged using expensive and environmentally harmful diesel generators. Simbi Roses was therefore looking for an alternative that would enable them to run their watering and cooling systems more cheaply and reliably. In a country with plenty of sunshine, solar energy is an obvious choice, but it requires an initial outlay for the plant. The programme found a perfect match: the German crowd-funding investment platform Ecoligo, which installs photovoltaic systems on the roofs of commercial and industrial buildings. Simbi Roses signed a leasing contract for a turnkey solar system, including service and maintenance, and has been saving 25 per cent on its electricity costs ever since.
Support for 180 contract signings
Climate change means there is a huge global need for renewable energy. The Project Development Programme therefore focuses on small and medium-sized enterprises from Germany that offer climate-friendly energy solutions on foreign markets. Since 2018, 180 contracts have been signed in developing countries and emerging economies and a further 560 business relationships have been initiated. All in all, this will save an estimated 38 million tonnes of CO2. And more is to follow, as the Project Development Programme has another 1,600 potential business relationships in the pipeline.
It's a win-win situation – local economies can access sustainable, cost-saving energy, and German companies can expand their business. Together, both sides are helping to mitigate climate change.
Source: www.floraldaily.com
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