Africa’s waste could fly planes globally

May 06, 2026

Dear subscriber,

For years, Africa has exported waste oils while others refined them into aviation fuel. Now, the continent is beginning to ask a different question: why not fuel some of those planes from here instead? The opportunity sounds compelling. The economics, infrastructure and politics behind it are considerably messier. And as global aviation searches for cleaner fuels, Africa may find itself entering a new kind of resource race.

Mercy Maina - Editor

Africa’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market is beginning to take shape as global decarbonisation policies create new demand for low-carbon aviation fuels. South Africa’s Sasol has secured certification to export SAF to Europe, while Egypt has attracted a $200 million Gulf-backed investment for a SAF project alongside an offtake agreement with Shell. 

  • SAF is produced from feedstocks such as used cooking oil, waste oils and biomass, offering a lower-carbon alternative to conventional jet fuel. 

  • Africa is emerging as a potential SAF supplier to global markets due to abundant waste and biomass feedstocks, though scaling production will depend on processing capacity, certification and reliable feedstock systems.

  • Our take: Questions remain around the long-term implications of scaling fuel production in regions already facing food security pressures… Read more (2 min)

Opinion: Financing waste management in Africa

As Africa’s waste volumes grow, Christine Cherono, a circularity professional, argues that the continent’s circular economy ambitions are constrained by a persistent lack of financing for daily waste collection and operations. She calls for the adoption of sustainable funding models to ensure waste systems remain operational and financially viable.

  • Ms Cherono is a waste systems and circular economy specialist at Zero Waste Communities, a platform offering weekly insights on Africa’s waste management and circular economy.

  • “While trucks and infrastructure are visible investments, it is the collection that consumes the largest share of budgets. Collection happens every single day and generates no direct financial return. This is why sustainable waste financing is such a critical issue for Africa,” she says.

  • Read the full opinion article here (2 min)

Circular economy initiatives in Africa attracted $300 million in April, more than double the $115 million recorded in the first quarter of the year. West Africa dominated, accounting for three of the five deals, while southern and Central Africa secured one each. The funding comprised a mix of loans, grants and equity investment.

  • The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recorded the largest deal at $250 million, a loan from the World Bank to improve waste management in the capital, Kinshasa. 

  • Outside the DRC transaction, deal sizes remained modest, with financing largely driven by development finance institutions, alongside small grants and venture capital.

  • Our take: The doubling of the first quarter’s total points to a renewed momentum, though the market remains fragmented and a concessional-heavy market.…Read more (2 min)

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Source: ABSA Kenya

Absa, GIZ and AGF launch a circular economy programme for Kenyan MSMEs

Events

🗓️ Network at the at the Sustainable Manufacturing Summit 2026 (May 19)

✍️ Learn to turn farm waste into energy at Bio360 Africa, S. Africa (June 17)

Jobs

🧕 Be the next marketer for Verdiq Recycling (Nigeria)

🧑‍💼 Consult on circular economy at ITU (Africa)

🧕 Help Trias understand the circular economy value chain (Tanzania)

🧑‍💼 Work as a Climate Advisory Specialist at responsAbility (South Africa)

Various 

💰 Cape Town to buy power from waste-to-energy producers 

✅ Kenya rolls out policy brief to promote SMEs participation in circular economy

🧑‍🌾 Women farmers in Ghana turn to agroecology to confront climate change 

♻️ ABSA, GIZ, AGF launch circular economy programme targeting MSMEs in Kenya

🎖️ Ghana’s circular Food Bank wins $150k global award from Wharton 

Seen on LinkedIn 

Lynn Ouya, a Project Officer at CEJAD-Kenya, says, “For many developing economies, mining is more than an industry; it is a pathway to employment, infrastructure development, and national revenue. A rapid global shift away from virgin material extraction, without parallel investments in alternative industries, risks “kicking away the development ladder” just as some countries are beginning to climb it. The challenge, therefore, is not whether circularity is good, but how it is implemented and who benefits from it.”