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Missing link in Africa’s waste shift may be community sensitisation

May 25, 2025

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A new report from the Africa Waste and Wastewater Summit urges stronger community sensitisation to tackle growing waste in Africa. It argues that public education is essential to shift mindsets, turning waste into economic opportunities and improving segregation at source, both key to advancing Africa’s circular economy.

  • Grassroots awareness is emerging as a key pillar in Africa’s waste strategies, enabling behavior change, local innovation, and stronger buy-in for regulations and recycling.

  •  African governments are increasingly embedding community engagement in waste strategies, recognising that inclusive participation boosts policy effectiveness and support for circular economy transitions.

  • Our take: Community sensitisation is a fundamental pillar, not a peripheral add-on, in advancing Africa’s circular economy goals. By educating and engaging communities to recognise waste as a valuable resource, countries can unlock the full potential of their waste streams… Read more (2 min)

Countries in East Africa dominate circular economy hiring in May, offering 16 of 27 roles, representing 59% of all jobs across Africa. West Africa follows with 5 roles, Southern Africa with 3, North Africa with 2, and one regional position. Tanzania leads with 10 positions across three roles: two single-person and one with eight openings.

  • Waste and plastics emerge as specialised focus areas in Africa’s circular economy job market, represented by four specialist roles within a pool dominated by cross-sectoral positions. Standing out are two fisheries waste management specialist roles based in the island nations of Seychelles and Mauritius.

  • Over half of all roles are offered by multilateral agencies like UNDP, UNOPS, UNIDO, FAO, IFAD, IOM, and ITU, highlighting their central role in driving Africa’s circular economy efforts.

  • Job board: Explore the latest job openings across Africa’s growing hydrogen sector… Read more (2 min)

Zoomlion Ghana is rapidly expanding in both scale and speed, growing its workforce by 38% over the past 12 months. According to LinkedIn data analysed by Circular Rising, the waste management company added 62 employees, bringing its senior staff headcount to 225, highlighting momentum in Africa’s circular economy.

  • Zoomlion’s growth follows a similarly strong trend seen in a 12-month analysis ending in March, during which its workforce expanded by 39% to 210 employees—an increase of 59 staff.

  • The company also recorded the highest growth in its sales and business development team—up 58%—by adding 30 employees to reach a total of 82, matching the same headcount gain as in March, when the team grew by 67% from a smaller base.

  • Our take: Zoomlion’s growth in both total workforce and sales teams signals its positioning as a leading waste management brand, and hints at broader ambitions for continental dominance…Read more (2 min)

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Sam Dindi showcases a circular economy board game to educate public on circularity

Events

🗓️ Network at the WASTE 360 conference in South Africa (July 8)

🗓️ Register for  the Conference on Circular Economy and Bioeconomy S.Africa (July 23)

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

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

🗓️ Participate in the Nature and Circularity Week in South Africa (October 20)

 

Various 

🔋 ReStore expands battery rejuvenation business to Africa

❌ Lagos excludes water sachets, PET bottles from single-use plastics ban

🗑️ Ghanaian advocates for reusable office supplies to manage Ghana plastic waste

📚 IFC releases Harmonized Circular Economy Finance Guidelines 

🎖️ Plastics Recycling Awards Middle East and Africa launched

💲 Recycling scheme in Libya helps fund cancer treatment

♀️ GIZ announces Green Business Development Support for women entrepreneurs

♻️ Shoprite Group introduces South Africans to recyclable potato bags

Seen on LinkedIn 

Vanio Joano, the Financial Director of Seaboard Overseas and Trading Group, says, “For a circular economy to truly thrive, we must examine our entire environment and rethink every link in the value chain. Imagine the impact this could have in some of Africa’s most underserved cities, where waste clogs street corners and families go without electricity for hours each day.”____________________