Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 9-25-2025

Abstract

Innovation hubs and climate entrepreneurship platforms are expanding across the Global South, yet they remain largely disconnected from national Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) strategies. Existing frameworks for climate education, public participation, and community engagement often overlook these hubs, missing opportunities to leverage their infrastructure for capacity building. Egypt’s CREATIVA Innovation Hubs, along with Kenya’s Climate Innovation Centre and the UNFCCC’s Global Innovation Hub, offer digital training, entrepreneurship support, and incubation for youth-led initiatives. However, they are not systematically integrated into climate education or adaptation programming. This paper calls on the Government of Egypt, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the National Council for Climate Change (NCCC), the Ministry of Environment, and private sector actors, to embed innovation hubs into ACE delivery. A proposed model outlines four key actions:

  1. Align innovation ecosystems with youth empowerment pipelines.
  2. Establish inter-ministerial coordination between environment, education, and ICT authorities.
  3. Integrate adaptive learning systems for continuous monitoring.
  4. Promote long-term local ownership. The strategy begins with pilots in Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Port Said, and Aswan, coordinated through a proposed Climate Innovation Sub-Committee within the National Green Taskforce. By linking innovation infrastructure to ACE, governments can transform hubs into platforms for community engagement, entrepreneurship, and climate resilience — strengthening local adaptive capacity and creating clear pathways for youth to contribute to national climate goals.

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