Circular sanitation is here but will it work?

From the newsletter

African leaders have launched the “Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy”, placing the circular sanitation economy at the centre of the continent’s long term water strategy. The framework seeks to move sanitation beyond disposal toward resource recovery and value creation. Its credibility, however, will be determined by implementation.

• The policy defines a circular sanitation economy as, “Systems recovering water, nutrients and energy from wastewater to reduce resource consumption and pollution,” reframing sanitation from a public health obligation to productive infrastructure.

• For a continent where sanitation provision remains uneven and largely disposal driven, translating this vision into functioning systems will require heavy investment in infrastructure and people.

More details

• Launched at the 39th Assembly of the African Union, the Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy framework seeks to align water, sanitation and hygiene systems with the continent’s long term development agenda. By situating circular sanitation within this strategic vision, the Policy positions water governance not only as a social imperative but as a driver of sustainable growth and structural transformation across African economies. The central test for Africa Water Vision 2063, however, will be whether continental ambition can translate into municipal capability.

• Beyond its conceptual appeal, the circular sanitation economy ultimately depends on whether existing systems can support recovery at scale. Across much of sub Saharan Africa, the majority of wastewater is discharged untreated, while treatment infrastructure is often overstretched and designed primarily for containment rather than nutrient or energy recovery. In megacities such as Lagos, Kinshasa and Cairo, rapid urban growth has outpaced sewer network expansion, leaving sanitation heavily reliant on on site systems with limited integration into formal treatment networks. Moving from disposal to systematic recovery therefore requires structural overhaul rather than incremental reform.

• Another constraint lies in the nature of the sanitation economy itself. With more than 84% of urban residents across sub Saharan Africa relying on on site sanitation systems such as pit latrines and septic tanks, faecal sludge emptying is not peripheral but central to urban sanitation systems. However, this core function is often handled partly or largely by informal operators, who provide essential services yet operate outside formal regulatory frameworks. Embedding circularity will require formalisation without displacing livelihoods, alongside clearer safety standards and coordinated oversight between municipal authorities, utilities and environmental regulators. Without institutional alignment, resource recovery risks remaining a pilot concept rather than a citywide model.

• Market viability presents another test. Recovering nutrients, reclaimed water or biogas delivers economic value only if reliable demand exists. Estimates suggest that sanitation economies could unlock at least $19 billion in economic gains by 2030 across five African countries, underscoring the scale of potential returns. Yet farmers must trust and adopt treated biosolids, industries must accept reclaimed water, and energy markets must accommodate small scale biogas production. This, in turn, depends on enforceable quality standards, transparent certification systems and sustained public confidence. Absent these conditions, recovered outputs may struggle to compete with conventional alternatives.

• Even where markets exist, financing remains decisive. Resource recovery infrastructure is capital intensive and often requires blended finance, tariff reform and long term regulatory certainty. Many municipalities face constrained revenues and weak cost recovery mechanisms, limiting their capacity to invest in advanced treatment or reuse systems. Development finance institutions, including the African Development Bank, have supported urban sanitation and climate adaptation initiatives, yet sustained revenue generation at municipal level remains limited. Unless sanitation is embedded within broader urban investment strategies and climate adaptation planning, the ambition may outpace fiscal realities.

Our take

• The Africa Water Vision 2063 signals high level political intent. Whether that intent translates into functioning value chains will depend on whether African governments treat sanitation not as residual public service provision, but as foundational economic infrastructure.

• For millions of urban residents across Africa, effective implementation would determine whether waste is safely collected and treated and sanitation services become affordable, reliable and dignified rather than intermittent and unsafe.