The Inclusive Business Co-creation Accelerator (IBCA) engaged Swedish businesses across six sectors to work towards global challenges of poverty: agri-food, healthcare, energy, water and sanitation, ICT, and textiles and clothing. Each sector was working towards specific ambitions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The programme was based on the Inclusive Business Agenda, with the vision that Swedish business will play a leading role in addressing the global challenges of poverty – and all done profitably.

IBCA focused on three work streams. Firstly, it gathered actors in strategic sectors and created platforms where they could work together towards common goals. Secondly, it initiated and developed inclusive ventures with Swedish and local actors in developing markets. Thirdly, IBCA created formal partnerships with actors across a range of countries, including Bangladesh, Nigeria and India.

During its three years, IBCA paved the way for inclusive business collaboration in Sweden and around the world, demonstrating the potential of working across sectors to develop and scale businesses that meet global development needs. It kick-started lasting partnerships, ventures and networks.

Programme outputs included:

• Ecosystem building: created an active online and offline community with over 120 Swedish actors – ranging from businesses to academia, development agencies and government institutions –  across six sectors
• Capacity building: supported and helped to scale over 20 ventures through capacity building, for example ventures providing solar solutions in Botswana and Nigeria, developing salt-tolerant wheat in Bangladesh, and developing eHealth solutions in East Africa.
• Co-creation and acceleration: formed international partnerships and collaborations in Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria, India, China, South Africa and Botswana, as well as forums for other co-creation activities globally.
• Programme building: developed and delivered inclusive business initiatives including Project InTaCt (textiles and clothing) and GoAfrica (focus on Swedish SMEs)

The programme was funded by Vinnova and implemented in 2015-2017.

For more information, please contact us on info@inclusivebusiness.se

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