Pilot project in Bolivia: e-learning programme on finance for green technologies

How best to fund green technologies and sustainable (green) infrastructure in developing and emerging countries? This is the question behind the decision to launch a new e-learning course in Spanish, “LearnGreen – Into the Future with Green Finance”, which Frankfurt School of Finance & Management is developing together with the Service GmbH unit of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK Service GmbH) and the German-Bolivian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Bolivien). Intended for professionals working in banks and businesses, the programme aims to boost the supply of and demand for funding for sustainable investments in green technologies. A pilot project is currently running in Bolivia, after which the programme will be offered throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Country-specific versions are being developed accordingly.

LearnGreen participants are given a solid grounding in the local development and rollout of products for financing green technologies and sustainable (green) infrastructure, and for funding green projects planned by local businesses. They are also familiarised with the relevant technologies. Reference projects by German companies are included on the curriculum and discussed in terms of local conditions. Thus the course also includes specialist expertise contributed by German providers.

Building up local capacity and knowledge is a vital step towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations. Green technologies play an important role in the sustainable growth and development of society and economies. “Even now, small and medium-sized businesses often don’t have access to the sources of funding they need. This restricts on-the-ground investment in green technologies. With our e-learning course, we’re seeking to sensitise the banking sector and businesses to the possibilities of green finance, and boost the availability of green finance products,” explains Jonas Fleer, Programme Manager at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

The project is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) through the “Green and Sustainable (Environmental) Infrastructure Export Initiative”. The pilot phase will run until March 2022, after which the e-learning course will be offered on an ongoing basis.