Women in Cleantech Hosts Green Visionaries Event in Morocco

• “Green Visionaries” regional panel discussion organized in Agadir on February 24
• The event was meant to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and facilitate a discussion on clean tech and sustainable innovation

In Agadir, Morocco, entrepreneurs, students, and other stakeholders came together for the “Green Visionaries” Regional Panel Event to ignite and foster new founders of climate-focused businesses through discussion of clean technology and sustainable innovation practices.

This event was hosted by Women in Cleantech (WiC) as part of a national effort to grow women's participation in the climate entrepreneurship industry by increasing their representation within the innovating community.

The event was a collaborative effort of the Bridgizz, GIZ Morocco and Technopark Souss Massa in order to develop local innovation resources and build a position to support sustainable economic development.

The purpose of the Green Visionaries event is to help early-stage innovators, using the Climate Launchpad model - the world's largest competition for green business ideas develop their climate-related ideas into successful commercial ventures.

The Green Visionaries session presented nine leading experts who shared their knowledge and experiences within the areas of entrepreneurship, clean technology, digital agriculture, AI use, circular economy, and startup strategies.

They participated in interactive conversations with attendees surrounding some of the challenges and opportunities associated with constructing new venture models that have both long-term profitability and environmental benefits.

The discussion focused on how to integrate sustainability into new venture models; specifically what role(s) there play in creating an innovative and sustainable Moroccan ecosystem where climate-related efforts can flourish.

During the event, Hayat Id Bihi, co-founder and CTO of HK Solutions and Eco grind, gave an interview to MWN. She emphasized that gender should not be a factor in limiting ambition and creativity in the technology field, saying, “As women, we can start projects based on challenges we face in our daily life.”

She also emphasized that projects and initiatives, especially in the technology field, are often small and begin with local problems that eventually develop into bigger projects. "Projects do not start from big things but from local problems, which evolve into solutions for bigger projects," she said.

Hayat also mentioned the changing landscape in the technology field, which was previously dominated by men. “We can see that the field was dominated by men for a while, but recently, women are becoming more involved, excelling with their ideas,” she said.