Guidelines to Accelerate the Transition Towards a Circular Economy in Africa

Overall, African countries still face many challenges that hinder their ability to advance circular economy initiatives across different economic sectors. This report has identified five main challenges in advancing a circular economy in Africa, namely:

• Lack of a holistic approach to adopting the circular economy which reflects opportunities in all sectors beyond just waste management
• Limited awareness and communication of the benefits of a circular economy
• Market entry barriers for innovation and growth of circular economy business models developed by the private sector
• Limited coordination of circular economy strategies and action plans, as well as little monitoring of circular initiatives
• Insufficient and misaligned financing mechanisms and funding options

With such challenges residing in the backdrop, the transition to a circular economy must primarily be led by the private sector, with regional bodies and national governments providing the appropriate enabling environment to sustain the transition. These regional guidelines seek to help make the business case for the circular economy and establish a common and suitable enabling environment across the continent by promoting regional coherence and collaboration.