How Emerging Economies are Building Cleantech Capacity in Today’s Ever More Fragmented World

Earlier this year, more than 60 cleantech ecosystem representatives from 11 countries came together in an online workshop to discuss, evaluate, and share learnings from their collective ecosystem building efforts. The eleven low- and middle-income countries are all partners in UNIDO’s Global Cleantech Innovation Programme, which aims to promote cleantech innovation and entrepreneurship to address urgent environmental challenges.  

The results reveal uneven but encouraging momentum, shaped by regional linkages, advancing policy frameworks, and, in some cases, resilience in the face of adversity. 

Momentum Accelerators: Who Is Advancing the Most, and Why 

• A standout performer was Cambodia, which improved across 7 out of the 15 metrics. Progress was driven by new inclusion and engagement programs, notably involving the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Environment, and partners such as Techo Startup Center. Additional support came from expanded international cooperation and government-led incubation for early-stage cleantech ventures. Cambodia’s transition from informal support to structured institutional coordination has helped establish it as a rising cleantech hub in Southeast Asia. 
   

• Kazakhstan also progressed in eight metrics and has seen cleantech activity grow in Astana and Almaty. This was supported by national strategy improvements through the Ministry of Ecology, agencies like the International Green Technologies and Investment Center (IGTIC) and greater cooperation with countries across Central Asia. Although funding and commercialization mechanisms are still developing, the country is becoming a key bridge within the Eurasian cleantech landscape. 
   

• Moldova is built on programs such as Tech Women and She’s Next, and strengthened policy alignment through the Energy Efficiency Agency. The ecosystem is expanding access to capital and mentoring services, although support for companies seeking early growth and the development of regional innovation clusters outside Chisinau remains limited. Recent pilot initiatives like the Eco-Industrial Parks, led by UNIDO and the EU, as part of the EU4Environment Programme, have begun laying the foundation for new local start-up accelerators. 
   

• Türkiye, already having a relatively developed ecosystem in 2023, advanced across five additional indicators. It has expanded early-stage support systems including TUBITAK start-up grants and active participation in EU programs like Horizon Europe. Regional hubs such as Izmir, strengthened by the EU-funded BEST For Energy project, continue to expand international collaboration. Efforts to close the gap between corporations and start-ups are gaining traction through demonstration funding and government-supported technology transfer programs. 
   

• Morocco gained further momentum by extending cleantech activity to cities like Tangier and Agadir. Key initiatives and clusters include Cluster EnR, which supports the creation of the green tech sector, and Green Energy Park, which provides R&D and experimentation spaces for renewable energy technologies. New reforms by the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition aim to ease administrative barriers around procurement and permitting. Yet, continued improvements are needed in areas like tailored financial instruments for growth-stage ventures and coordination across government ministries. 

Conflict and Realignment: Innovation Under Pressure 

Some ecosystems must find ways to innovate during crisis. Ukraine, despite ongoing conflict, showed strong performance across several ecosystem indicators. While regulatory structures remain under development and national support is constrained by war, the country benefits from strong international alliances, active diaspora involvement, and a committed civil society. 

Organizations such as Greencubator have stepped up to lead national innovation activities. Their work includes providing training, convening ecosystem players, and enabling global exposure for Ukrainian cleantech entrepreneurs. The country’s innovation priorities have shifted toward sectors that enhance resilience. These include agricultural technology, energy self-sufficiency, and circular textiles. 

External support has also played a role. EU-aligned programs and U.S.-supported transatlantic partnerships have given local entrepreneurs better access to financing, collaboration networks, and commercial opportunities. Ukraine’s evolving innovation approach highlights a key insight–ecosystems operating under extreme pressure often find creative momentum, not from central mandates, but through the decentralized determination of their participants. 

First-Time Assessed: Building Strong Foundations 

Among new participants, Namibia and Senegal showed developing ecosystems with promising entry points. 

Namibia is attracting attention through international initiatives, such as Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, and by developing cleantech programs that focus on women and youth from entities like the Ministry of Gender Equality. However, fragmented policy structures and limited access to blended finance options continue to hinder wider deployment efforts. 

Senegal is also advancing through its evolving climate innovation agenda, supported by public institutions such as the Direction du Climat and private-sector actors like Baobab Sénégal, which issued the country’s first green, social, and sustainable bond in 2024. Nonetheless, most cleantech activity remain centered in Dakar, underscoring the need to strengthen gender inclusion and better engage informal entrepreneurs across the country. 

Five Systemic Takeaways 

1. External connectivity fuels ecosystem growth
   External linkages play a decisive role in ecosystem development. Kazakhstan and Türkiye benefit from trade and talent flows tied to nearby markets, while Ukraine and Moldova have tapped into global partnerships and diaspora support. To fully exploit their potential, these benefits need to be matched by local policy alignment and ecosystem readiness.
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2. Conflict realigns priorities
   In Ukraine, innovation is no longer solely about growth. The focus now includes critical needs such as food security, domestic manufacturing, energy independence, and circular economy solutions. Similar shifts may occur in any region facing disruption, where innovation becomes a tool for resilience as much as economic development.
    
3. Inclusion is a growth lever
   Programs that support the participation of women and young people, such as those in Cambodia, Namibia, and Morocco, demonstrate that inclusion fuels broader ecosystem engagement. These initiatives diversify leadership, expand talent pools, and generate more equitable innovation outcomes, particularly when embedded within national strategies and entrepreneurial support systems.
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4. Policy still lags investment ambitions
   South Africa illustrates a common challenge. Dynamic start-up activity may emerge, but policy misalignment, limited access to growth-stage capital, and weak demand stimulation mechanisms often stall progress. Ecosystems require not just entrepreneurial energy, but also enabling policies and public tools to move from pilot to scale.
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5. Local Ecosystem Champions Accelerate Progress
   Local stewards such as the Direction du Climat in Senegal, Techo Startup Center in Cambodia, or Greencubator in Ukraine, play a vital role convening, connecting, and leading. Their ability to translate policy into action and sustain collaboration across sectors often determine whether ecosystems advance meaningfully or remain fragmented. 

Looking Ahead 

Each ecosystem is a unique network of organisations, building on different industrial strengths, partnerships, skillsets and cultural fabric. Therefore, just like innovation, cleantech ecosystem building is not linear. History, geopolitics, and available resources all play a part. 

GCIP wraps up in 2026, and as partner countries look to build sustainable initiatives beyond the programme, three priorities stand out:  

• Strengthen ecosystem coordination mechanisms that link policy, capital, and entrepreneurship under a shared national long-term vision

• Invest in late-stage and demand-side support including cleantech procurement, scale-up financing, and market incentives

• Empower local ecosystem champions across ministries, cities, universities, and civil society with the mandate, tools, and funding to lead transformation 

The goal ahead is not just to extend what GCIP started, but to embed cleantech capacity in the institutions and economies of partner countries. That will require integrated strategies, bold experimentation, and a new level of ambition. In cleantech, capacity is not just built—it’s shared, supported, and scaled. 

Cleantech Group’s cleantech ecosystem evaluation methodology was developed in collaboration with UNIDO. The goal is to offer a standardized yet adaptable method for evaluating national readiness to scale cleantech innovation. 

The framework examines country ecosystems across three core areas:  

• Innovation Policy and Ecosystem Support 

• Cleantech Innovation Cluster Development 

• Engagement of Ecosystem Actors