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Green shoots of funding hope for circular at Cape Town event
Dear subscriber,
Circular solutions in Africa are brewing, thanks to agile start-ups and SMEs. But without funding, it’s all fizz and no pop. We highlight the opportunities that can actually get these ventures off the ground.
Mercy Maina - Editor
 | Circular economy projects are gaining attention from investors, as borne out at Africa’s Green Economy Summit in Cape Town with an apparent $3.09 billion green deal pipeline. From battery recycling to waste-to-energy infrastructure, capital is placing circular solutions on high-profile agendas. Funding opportunities are extending well beyond the summit. |
Africa’s circular economy is dominated by startups, most of which struggle to scale due to limited access to growth capital and insufficient technical support to strengthen operations, governance and investor readiness.
However, an emerging stream of financing options, spanning blended finance platforms, development banks, donor-backed facilities, innovation funds, and venture capital-backed accelerators, is beginning to address the sector’s capital and technical support gaps.
Our take: For early-stage ventures, the barrier is no longer the absence of capital, but readiness to access it…… Read more (2 min)
 | Ahead of International Wastepickers’ Day on 1 March, which commemorates wastepickers’ contributions, Kamilla Heden Henningsen of the Danish Embassy in Kenya calls for a just circular transition that places informal waste workers at its centre. She stresses that reforms in waste management must strengthen, rather than undermine, their livelihoods and dignity. |
Ms Henningsen works at the intersection of sustainability, innovation and partnerships. She is currently serving as Sector Counsellor for Circular Economy at the Royal Danish Embassy in Kenya where she builds collaboration between governments, businesses, academia and civil society to advance green and inclusive growth.
She recommends embedding social justice into circular economy reforms through vocational training, strengthening wastepicker organisations, ensuring inclusion in decision-making, recognising their expertise, and improving livelihoods and working conditions.
Read the full opinion article here (2 min)
 | In the past three months, several innovations have emerged that could benefit Africa’s circular economy. Circular Rising highlights three that stand out for their impact. They include two road construction technologies fostering circular building and a battery recycling solution with the potential to help manage waste from the continent’s growing EV sector. |
Two of the technologies were developed by German companies, while the third comes from an Indian developer.
Although created abroad, these innovations could enhance circularity in Africa if they are deployed on the continent.
Our take: These innovations will require local technical expertise in Africa to operate and maintain effectively…. Read more (2 min)
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Source: Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines signs deal with Canadian firm Provectus to manage catering waste
Events
🗓️ Network at the Future of Sustainability Conference 2026 in South Africa (Mar 24)
🗓️ Be at the West African Clean Energy & Environment Conference (Mar 17)
🗓️ Network at the at the Kenya LOOP Forum (Circular Economy & Expo) (May 19)
Jobs
🧕 Consult on circular economy at ITU (Africa)
🧕 Ensure delivery of waste management training at Finn Church Aid (Somalia)
🧕 Oversee circular economy programme at Hivos (Kenya)
🧕 Manage circular economy programme at Hivos (Kenya)
🧕 Implement a waste management project at Technoserve (South Africa)
🧕 Be the next Director of Programmes at Technoserve (Nigeria)
Various
🤦 What Africa’s waste crisis reveals about power, politics and people
♻️ UN agency seeks coordinated implementation of circular economy in Nigeria
🟢 Kenya launches plastic circular investment initiative to boost recycling
🎏 Nigerian stakeholders validate policy on managing renewable energy waste
⚠️ Disclose details of a $113m waste management contract - Group asks Mombasa
❓ Do International Financial Centres enable circular economy investment?
⛔ Nigeria’s plastic crisis driven by vested corporate interests – audit reveals
Seen on LinkedIn
James Mureithi, a sustainability advocate, says, “The problem is not waste generation. The problem is we still see waste as something to dispose of. The moment society begins to see waste as a resource in the wrong place, sustainability stops being a campaign and becomes an economy.”