How Africa is turning waste into power

May 27, 2026

Dear subscriber,

Waste has traditionally been viewed as a disposal and sanitation challenge in Africa. But as urban populations grow, electricity demand rises and pressure mounts to decarbonise energy systems, governments and investors are increasingly beginning to view waste as a potential energy resource. 

Mercy Maina - Editor

Waste-to-energy is gaining momentum across the continent as governments seek solutions to rising twin waste electricity problems. Announcements in Ghana, South Africa and Morocco this month point to growing efforts to turn waste into power, reduce pressure on landfills and diversify energy sources as intermittent renewables dominate investments.

  • In cities especially, waste-to-energy will become an important part of the energy transition. Unlike solar and wind, it can provide stable power because waste is continuous, creating a steady feedstock for electricity generation.

  • Rural regions have additional options. Africa’s agricultural economies produce about 1 billion tonnes of waste annually. Some, like Ethiopia, are already harnessing such waste for electricity.

  • Our take: Policy support, especially waste sorting rules, is needed to improve feedstock quality and project economics … Read more (2 min)

As Africa’s fashion and second-hand clothing economy continues to expand, circular economy advocate Eric Guantai warns that textile waste is increasingly becoming an extension of the global plastic crisis. He argues that much of today’s clothing is made from synthetic, fossil fuel-based materials that are complicating waste management.

  • Mr Guantai is a circular economy practitioner and sustainability consultant with extensive experience in climate change, waste management, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), ESG integration and Scope 3 emissions.

  • “What many consumers do not realize is that modern textile waste is no longer simply fabric waste. A significant portion of today’s textiles are plastic by another name,” he says.

  • Read the full opinion article here (2 min)

Since March, several circular economy innovations have emerged targeting waste streams that conventional recycling systems often struggle to manage. Circular Rising features four of them, ranging from refill systems to replace single-use sachets to AI-powered waste sorting technologies and systems converting difficult plastics into fuel. 

  • Two of the featured technologies were developed in Europe, one in Africa and another in Asia, reflecting the increasingly global nature of circular economy innovation.

  • Although developed in different regions, all four technologies could have relevance for Africa where waste collection gaps, plastic pollution and infrastructure constraints remain significant. 

  • Our take:  Reflects growing recognition that some of the world’s fastest-growing waste streams cannot be addressed through traditional recycling systems alone…Read more (2 min)

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Source: ACEA

Cameroon launches National Circular Economy Roadmap 2025-2035

Events

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

📦 Sign up for KEPRO Sustainable Packaging Exchange in Kenya (June 23)

🪪 Network at WasteCon 2026 in South Africa (October 20)

Jobs

🧑‍💼 Consult on the state of waste management at KEPRO (Kenya)

👷 Work as a Water Engineer at SLR Consulting (Ghana)

🕴️Manage operations across waste management projects (Egypt)

⛑️ Operate waste management equipment at Amentum (Kenya)

🌳 Be the next Sustainability Manager at a waste management firm (Egypt)

🧕 Apply for the role of Environmental and LCA Manager at DCarbon Global (Egypt)

🧑‍💼 Analyse data at Compass Medical Waste Services (South Africa)

Various 

♻️ IUCN launches IslandPlas plastic recovery network in Zanzibar, Tanzania

📻 Sierra Leonean teenager builds community radio station from scratch

💰 Canada invests $0.7m in West Africa’s circular economy

🚫 Microplastics may be threatening women's sexual health

Seen on LinkedIn 

Dr Susan Winks, a drug discovery scientist, says, “Improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems, alongside effective wastewater management, is critical to preventing infections and reducing the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the most urgent global public health threats of our time.”