The Land Accelerator Ghana Cocoa Belt Opportunity - Apply Today

The Land Accelerator Ghana Cocoa Belt is accepting applications from April 30 to May 31, 2024. This is an opportunity exclusive to companies restoring land in Ghana's Cocoa Belt Landscape. Learn more about the opportunity and how to apply in the article. 

Application Deadline: May 31, 2024; 23:59 Ghana time

About the Land Accelerator Ghana Cocoa Belt

This business training program builds the skills for entrepreneurs whose companies contribute to land restoration in the Ghana Cocoa Belt. The program will welcome companies into an early or growth stage cohort and will conduct trainings both virtually and in-person. The program will begin in September 2024 with selection announced in June 2024. This program is led by MDF Ghana with support from the World Resources Institute. You can learn more about the opportunity in the Land Accelerator Application Hub. Please note that this hub focuses on the many Land Accelerator programs, not all information will be relevant to this special offering. 

Eligibility to the Land Accelerator Ghana Cocoa Belt

Location: The Ghana Cocoa Belt is a priority restoration landscape under the RestoreLocal Initiative. Only companies operating within the Ghana Cocoa Belt are eligible for this opportunity. View the eligible locations and boundaries of this landscape.

Restoration company eligibility: Please review the Land Accelerator Eligibility Criteria to ensure that your company is eligible for this opportunity before applying. 

If your company is not eligible according to these criteria, please do not submit an application. New opportunities for the Land Accelerator will be announced in 2025. 

Steps to Apply

1. 1. Review the eligibility criteria above. Companies that are not eligible will not be considered for selection. 
   2. Go to TerraMatch and create an account. See step-by-step guidance here. Your organizational profile must be approved before you can start the application. This will take up to 24 hours.
   3. After receiving email notification of organizational profile approval, access the Land Accelerator Ghana Cocoa Belt application in Opportunities.
   4. Complete the application form. 
      Important Notes
      • On the first page of the application, you will be asked to "select or create a pitch". Choose “Create a new pitch,” and then continue with your application. Please disregard the information on this page, it is not relevant to the Land Accelerator application.
      • Progress on your application will be saved automatically. You can close and continue later at any time. To access a saved application, find it under “Select Application Draft” on the first page of the Land Accelerator application.
   5. Review your application and press submit when complete. The application deadline is May 30 at 23:59, Ghana time. No late submissions are accepted. Selection decisions will be announced in June 2024. 

CREATE A TERRAMATCH ACCOUNT HERE

Application Tips

• Read all questions carefully before answering. Be sure to answer the question asked and follow the specifications in the help text.

• In written responses, make your answers succinct and to the point. Provide specific examples that help demonstrate your impact.

• Answer questions that ask for numbers accurately. Exaggerated figures will not accurately represent your company and will not better your chances of acceptance.

• If you are unsure of an answer, provide your best estimate. Enter zero if a figure does not apply to your business.

• Financial documentation and upload of additional documents are optional but are helpful for the selection committee to learn more about your company. If you have these, please upload to your application.

• Picture uploads are important to the selection committee to visualize your operation. Be sure to submit at least three pictures showcasing three different aspects of your business in action.

• Read the selection criteria to understand how your business will be evaluated by the committee.

• Watch an informational webinar to learn more about the program and application. 

TerraMatch Land Accelerator Application Questions

View the questions and extra response guidance before applying.

Account Sign Up

These questions ask for information about you, the user on TerraMatch. Multiple users can be assigned to one organization if you have company co-founders.

• First Name
• Last Name
• Job Title
• Professional Phone Number
  (personal or business phone number)
• Professional Email Address
• Create a Password

Organizational Profile

These questions provide basic information about your company.

• Organization name
  (Indicate your business name, this will be the name on your TerraMatch profile)
• Organization type
• Organization legal name
  (This may be different from your organization name. If you operate under a different name than your "official name," write it as "[Official Name] doing business as [Public Name].")
• Street Address
  (Your business headquarters address)
• City
  (The city of your business headquarters)
• State/Province
  (State or province of your business headquarters)
• Country
  (Country of your business headquarters)
• Organization WhatsApp enabled phone number
  (If you do not have a business number, use a personal number for the key business contact)
• What countries is your organization legally registered in?
  (This is only one country in most cases)
• Proof of local legal registration, incorporation, or right to operate
• Social Media Presence – Organization Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn
  (Please provide your business website if you have one, along with any business social media pages)

• Organization Description
  (Write a few sentences describing your company, short and succinct is best)

• Organization Logo
  (This logo will be used on your TerraMatch profile)
• Organization Cover Photo
  (This photo will be used on your TerraMatch profile)

Company Details

These questions ask basic information about your company. You will notice that several questions are repeated from the organizational profile. It is necessary to answer these again because the selection committee only sees information submitted through the Land Accelerator application. 

• What is the legal name of your company? 
• Your WhatsApp enabled phone number
• Is your organization a non-profit, for-profit, or government agency
• In what country does your company operate? 
• In which city if your headquarters? 
• Is your company legally incorporated or registered?
• Proof of registration
• In which counties, districts or other subnational jurisdictions does your company operate
  (Be sure to enter a complete list of areas in which your company operates)
• In what languages can your company communicate?
  (This list is limited to languages in which TerraMatch is available. Please select languages in which the representatives of your company have working fluency)
• Provide the URL of your company's website and social media accounts, if applicable
  (If your company has a website, please be sure to submit a functional link) 

Organizational Governance

These questions help us conceptualize your company. 

• On what date was your company founded?
  (approximate the date of when you go started if you do not have a founding date)
• Describe your company in 150 characters or less
• What product(s) or service(s) does your company provide?
• At what stage of growth is your company?
• What challenges do you face in scaling, replicating and ensuring the sustainability of your company?
• List the people who have an ownership stake in your company. 
  (Use “Add Ownership Stake” to add all owners of your company. Be sure to add yourself if you are an owner.)

Organization Finances

These questions help us understand your company’s traction. Traction is a key consideration for every investor, and as an investment-readiness program, the Land Accelerator likes to understand the baseline traction of our participants’ companies. 

• What is the breakdown of your company’s recent (2021, 2022, 2023) funding history by funding type in USD?
  (Be sure to consider all sources of all types of funding described. If your company has yet to receive funding from any sources, skip this question. All answers must be in US dollars.) 
• What were your company’s recent yearly revenues (2021, 2022, 2023)?
  (Be sure to answer in US dollars using the January 2024 exchange rate)
• What are your company’s projected revenues in USD for 2024?

Organizational Demographics and Impact

At the Land Accelerator, one of the most important considerations is that the company is good for the environment and the community. Your responses also provide a baseline for impact indicators, which are important to track as your company continues to grow.

• How many people does your company currently employ in total?

• How many full-time workers does your company have?

• How many part-time workers does your company have?

• How many workers at your company are women?

• How many workers at your company are men?

• How many workers are between the ages of 18 and 35?

• How many workers are over the age of 35?

• What is the socioeconomic impact of your company?

• What is the environmental impact of your company?

Organizational Restoration Experience

These questions will help us understand the techniques your company uses to restore land. The Land Accelerator works with all types of restoration enterprises. Please be complete and accurate with your answers in this section.

• Which land use systems does your company restore?

• What other techniques does your company use to restore land?

• How many hectares of degraded land has your company restored in the past 36 months?

• How many hectares of degraded land has your company restored since it was founded?

• Does your company plant trees?

• How many trees has your company planted, naturally regenerated or otherwise restored in the past 36 months?

• How many trees has your company restored or naturally regenerated since it was founded?

• Which tree species has your company grown?
  (Be sure to only include tree species here, no other plant types)

• What strategies has your company used to maintain the trees that you have grown?

• Photos of past restoration work
  (Be sure to provide at least three photos, each showing a different aspect of your business operation)

Additional Information

This final section collects information about your interest in the Land Accelerator and provides an option for you to upload additional information about your company.

• Select the Top 5 skills you hope you develop through your participation in the Land Accelerator

• Upload any additional documents

• How did you hear about this opportunity?

• Do you have additional comments or questions that you would like to share with the organizers of the Land Accelerator?