March 21, 2025

New climate-linked funding supports waste projects

March 20, 2025

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the World Bank have provided $1.3 million in technical assistance to support climate-resilient urban development projects in eight African cities. A significant portion of the funding will go toward waste management efforts in 6 Kenyan cities, one Tanzanian city and one Ugandan city.

  • Despite generating millions of tonnes of waste daily, African cities struggle to develop large-scale waste recovery projects due to a lack of early-stage climate finance, hindering long-term investment.

  • Access to climate finance remains a major hurdle for African municipalities. Unlike Europe, where cities can tap into dedicated green investment funds, African urban waste projects often stall at the concept stage due to financial constraints.

  • Our take: Early-stage funding is the missing link in Africa’s waste management sector.… Read more (2 min)

This month’s circular economy jobs round-up features a strong presence of global bodies, showcasing roles from global players such as GIZ, UNDP, UNEP, TechnoServe, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Each is hiring for one role, with GIZ offering a cross-regional position.

  • The jobs round-up also highlights an emerging trend in the sector, with three roles requiring transnational expertise. One position covers the entire African region, while two others involve operating across two countries. 

  • Kenya stands out with three in-country roles and one cross-regional role covering both Kenya and Mozambique. Nigeria has two positions, Guinea-Bissau one and South Africa one.

  • Jobs round-up: Explore the latest job openings across Africa’s growing circular economy sector… Read more (2 min)

Dubai-based waste management company Averda is facing a slowdown in workforce growth in Africa, with hiring dropping from 9% last year to just 3% in the past six months. An 8% attrition rate is compounding the challenge, particularly in HR (11%) and business development (11%) signaling a shift from expansion to workforce retention.

  • Averda specializes in waste collection, recycling, and sustainable disposal solutions across emerging markets, providing integrated waste management services to municipalities, industries, and commercial clients

  • The company’s hiring trajectory reflects this shift. The workforce growth peaked in November 2024, slowed in December, and rebounded to 689 by February 2025. Since then, growth has stagnated, indicating a shift toward retention-focused strategies over aggressive hiring.

  • Our take: Averda’s shift from rapid workforce expansion to strategic consolidation signals a critical juncture.…Read more (2 min)

____________________

A worker at Triple R Recycling Limited in Nigeria loads baled PET bottles for transport to recycling facilities

Events

🗓️ Sign up for Eswatini Waste Management & Circular Economy Seminar (March 24)

🗓️ Join South African Circular Agriculture Initiative webinar (March 28)

🗓️ Attend the Plastics Recycling Show Middle East & Africa in Dubai (September 15)

🗓️ Take part in the ESG Africa Conference in South Africa (October 15)

Various

♻️ Shape the future of circular economy standards by answering this ISO survey

🤝 Heir Africa partners with GIVO Africa in a plastic upcycling initiative

🔊 Delta40 x  announces Bestseller Foundation Circular Economy Innovation Program

📚 South Africa publishes several technical reports about its  circular economy sector 

💰  Incitis Food invites  funding applications to develop circular food systems in Africa

Seen on LinkedIn 

Baraza Mwabe, a sustainability entrepreneur says, “Africa doesn’t have to copy the West’s failing recycling models. Instead, we can build an integrated reuse ecosystem that formalises waste pickers, promotes collection efficiency and creates circular supply chains.”