Policy case

Impact on the quantity or quality of jobs, and shifts in the labour market

Jobs

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Collecting waste from households and businesses by means of refuse bins, wheeled bins, containers, etc., and providing treatment, incineration, materials recovery and reclamation, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste

Waste Management

Producing electric cables and wires, power-generating equipment, including solar modules, motors, power turbines, as well as electronic equipment and instruments, including computer chips, communication equipment, analytical instruments, lasers, display screens, point-of-sales machines, security system equipment, and healthcare equipment

Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within the same industry

Valorise waste streams - closed loop

Engage with the government on circular policies and programmes

Government collaboration

Extraction and reuse of parts from end-of-life products for use in new products

Part recovery

Activities to clean, decorate, and restore products back to working condition for original or new purposes

Refurbishment, remanufacturing, renovation

Public-private partnerships

Develop infrastructure to support resource cycling

Impacts

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Industries

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A framework of policy instruments that enabled and encourage the transition to the circular economy

Policies

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A framework of policy instruments that enable and stimulate the transition to the circular economy

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

 The first African country to ban plastic bags now has another notch to add to its environmental belt – a comprehensive approach to recycling and repurposing electronic waste.“Rwanda is among the few countries that have an electronic waste policy and regulations, and is the second in Africa to have a state-of-the-art e-waste dismantling and recycling facility,” said Olivier Mbera, country general manager of EnviroServe Rwanda, which runs the recycling facility.“Rwanda is setting a great example for other countries in Africa,” he added.Just three years ago, Mbera was overseeing the development and implementation of Rwanda’s e-waste management project in his role with Rwanda’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM).“At the time, the government had been promoting ICT penetration in rural areas through different initiatives such as a one laptop per child program and an off-grid rural electrification program, and there was a move to have all services delivered online through Irembo,” Mbera said.“However, there was no solution for what to do once these electronic and electrical products reached the end of their life. The government and other private institutions had been renting warehouses to store all the e-waste, which was expensive and unsustainable. The government wanted a solution that took a whole-of-life approach.”Electronic waste (e-waste) is generated from discarded mobile phones, computers, stereos and light bulbs, as well as large household appliances such as televisions, refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners.E-waste management has become a major challenge facing many African countries because of lack of awareness, lack of environmental legislation and limited financial resources. Currently, e-waste in Africa is predominately disposed through open dumping, burning and landfilling, but with heavy metals and other hazardous substances present in electronics, these methods have potentially serious implications for human health and the environment.So, in 2008 Rwanda began policy discussions around how to manage its e-waste. After consulting those involved in the sector, with support from the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), the country approved an e-waste policy in 2016.“The policy provided guiding principles in dealing with e-waste and roles and responsibilities for institutions. The next step was to create legal instruments such as a law and regulations and adequate infrastructure to handle the increasing generation of e-waste,” Mbera said.EIF Coordinator Peter Donelan said of this work in Rwanda, “Often it is difficult to see the visible benefits of policy strengthening work, so it is great to actually see what has happened in Rwanda.”“It was a number of years ago that EIF worked with the Government to get trade into its national development agenda, and that included helping with the creation of this e-waste policy. With the environmental gains, the job creation and the income generation, I am pleased that Rwanda is now leading the region on e-waste.”A detailed inventory on e-waste generation was also conducted as part of the project, and it found that Rwanda had the potential to of generate 10,000-15,000 tonnes of e-waste per year.“This was the baseline data we needed to be able to put in place proper infrastructure for sustainable e-waste management in Rwanda,” Mbera said.An e-waste recycling facility was built in the eastern part of the country and is currently managed and operated by the private sector company EnviroServe Rwanda Green Park though a public-private partnership agreement with the Government of Rwanda.EnviroServe Rwanda currently has six collection points where members of the public can drop off their unwanted electronic goods, and is aiming for 30 by the end of the year  – one in each district of Rwanda and at border posts.“Last year we collected 3,000 tonnes of e-waste, which is 30% of the capacity of the facility. This year, we are focused on increasing not only the number of collection centres to 30, but also raising awareness amongst the general public about where they can responsibly dispose of their e-waste,” Mbera said.He added that COVID-19 has had a big impact on their work, delaying the establishment of collection centres throughout the country.EnviroServe Rwanda also offers a collection service for large organisations and companies, not only in Rwanda but also servicing companies in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.“We recognize that even with these measures we are not able to access all the e-waste in Rwanda so we work with general waste collection companies, training them to separate the e-waste and give it to us,” Mbera said.Once the e-waste reaches their facility, it is separated, weighed and recorded.“We keep records of where the waste comes from and whether the client has requested refurbishment or their data wiped,” Mbera said.Rwanda is among the few countries that have an electronic waste policy and regulations, and is the second in Africa to have a state-of-the-art e-waste dismantling and recycling facility.- Olivier Mbera, EnviroServe Rwanda general managerIf they are able to repair and refurbish the equipment, they then either sell it at a heavily discounted price or donate it to local schools.“So far we have sold or donated nearly 2,000 refurbished computers to schools,” Mbera said.If the item is beyond repair, it is dismantled into different parts, valuable materials are recovered and hazardous materials are responsibly disposed of.“We crush the plastic into small pellets and this is sent to other industries to make new plastic materials such as chairs or construction material. The steel we recover from discarded items is processed into high quality iron bars by a facility next door to us. These bars are being used in the construction of schools and new airport construction,” Mbera said.“With the circuit boards we have to export them to Enviroserve Dubai where there is higher tech and environmentally friendly facilities to remove precious metals.”This has spurred the company to take their capacity a step further.“We are aiming to expand and become the first lithium battery recycling facility in Africa. We are currently conducting a feasibility study with the support of MINICOM and the EU and hope to attract significant investment,” Mbera said.Not only has the facility made great environmental gains, but it’s also created employment for more than 400 people.“From collection to refurbishment to construction, so many jobs have been created to support the industries of the future,” Mbera said.   Many visiting country delegations have been interested in the model that Rwanda has adopted for its e-waste recycling, and Mbera believes not only is it easily applicable to other countries, but it is also a good example for how the circular economy can work in Africa.“The principle of a circular economy is to put all waste to use again. E-waste is often looked at as a problem, but, as we have demonstrated, it is also a resource. If we all just put a little more effort into waste management, we could achieve great things.” 

Rwanda

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Government of Rwanda

EnviroServe Rwanda

Rwanda has been setting a great example for circular and sustainable policies for its neighbors in East Africa. As the country has been promoting electronic access in rural areas, it has also increased its e-waste levels. Therefore, Rwanda has now invested in setting up an e-waste recycling facility to tackle this environmental threat. Their recycling initiative has already made a large impact in reducing the toxic waste that comes with used electronic devices, and through their public-private collaboration, the otherwise wasteful items get collected, and later either repaired, donated, or dismantled into recyclable and valuable parts.

Rwanda's Investment in Circular E-waste Management Initiative 

Impact on the health and happiness of human populations

Well-being

Direct and indirect reduction in economic costs

Cost Savings

Producing and gathering crop and animal products from land and water through farming, hunting, and fishing

Agriculture

Designing products so they produce as little waste as possible during production

Design for minimal waste

Living labs

Site planning for circular material use

 The Rwandan Government has formally launched the new African Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES), with one of its key aims to reduce food waste, Hosted in-country by the University of Rwanda, ACES’ inception meeting consisted of a high-level cross-department team was established to lead the Centre’s development.  In collaboration with the core technical partners - the University of Birmingham and UN Environment Programme’s United for Efficiency (UNEP U4E) - progress in setting up the centre has quickened with the official endorsement of planned activities. ACES will help get farmers’ produce to market quickly and efficiently – reducing food waste, boosting profits and creating jobs as well as look to improve cold-chains for vaccines and health, now recognised globally as a key challenge for Covid-19 immunisation. ACES brings together multi-disciplinary UK and in-country expertise with commercial partners to develop and demonstrate ways of delivering affordable lowest carbon emissions cooling and cold-chain systems while meeting Africa’s social and economic cooling needs. Associated “Living Labs” will conduct state-of-the-art research and offer technical assistance, demonstrations and knowledge transfer. The first Living Lab is anticipated in rural Rwanda, with others to follow in additional countries. Dr. Mujawamariya Jeanne d'Arc, Rwanda Minister of Environment, commented: “The Rwanda Cooling Initiative with UNEP U4E has assisted the development of National Cooling Strategy in 2019 and it is now providing the foundation for ACES, which will bring together talent from across Africa to develop and deploy world-class cooling solutions. The Rwandan government supports the establishment of the Centre with our partners over the months and years ahead.” Researchers from the University of Birmingham, Cranfield University, London South Bank University and Heriot Watt University are applying their expertise with rural cooling and cold-chain, backed by funding from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The project’s first cooling needs and gap assessment report is nearing completion, after in-country interviews with representatives from agricultural co-operatives and communities across Rwanda, as well as key Ministries, private companies and NGOs. With analysis of energy consumption and sources, food and value losses, facilities and equipment, refrigerants and cold chain demand, the report will help guide the design of ACES. Vice Chancellor of University of Rwanda “We are delighted to announce that the University has designed part of Rubirizi campus as the site for ACES.  The layout of the site is underdevelopment. The location is ideally situated in the capital of Kigali, with existing facilities and space for demonstration of new technologies and future expansion. We also established an inter-disciplinary cohort of experts from across the University’s colleges to underpin the development of ACES’ cooling solutions.” Rwanda is one of the least urbanised countries in Africa with 73% of the workforce employed in agriculture. In sub-Saharan Africa, 54% of workers rely on the agricultural sector. A further challenge is that agriculture in Rwanda is dominated by six million small and marginal farmers, each on average farming less than 0.6hectares of land. Project co-developer and technical lead Toby Peters, Professor of Cold Economy at the University of Birmingham, said: “Farmers need robust means of getting perishable produce to urban markets and medical staff must move temperature-sensitive vaccines to rural communities, but cold chain logistics must be sustainable. The Centre’s progress means we move closer to this goal in Rwanda and the wider continent without using fossil fuels - giving Africa the means to feed millions of citizens effectively and meet export targets to drive growth.” The project supports the Rwandan National Agricultural Export Development Board’s (NAEB) five-year strategy to double agricultural exports by 2024-25 and significantly increase exports of aqua-culture, beef and other temperature-sensitive products. At the same time, the work will contribute to not only supporting the efficient and equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccination but also design solutions which contribute to long-term cold-chain and energy resilience with a lasting legacy. Around 40 per cent of Rwanda’s population live below the poverty threshold (US$1.90 a day) – with women, disabled, widowed, and rural populations disproportionately affected. According to the World Bank, food loss represents 12% of annual GDP, 21% of total land and contributes 16% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions.  Traders with access to cooling facilities access higher value markets – worth up to 10 times the local market. Rwanda’s population is estimated to nearly double by 2050. In a world where climate change has a negative impact on food cycles, intensifying food production alone is no longer a viable solution to respond to the emerging food demand. Mitigating food loss will be key to food security. 

The Rwandan Government has launched the new African Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES), with one of its key aims to reduce food waste, along with helping the nation's agriculture and farmers. They will be delivering affordable lowest carbon emissions cooling and cold-chain systems&nbsp;which&nbsp;meet Africa’s social and economic cooling&nbsp;needs. In addition, Living Labs will provide support and analyze the progress of this initiative.

Government of Rwanda is Addressing Food Waste by a Cooling Programme 

Contribution to social parity, or impact on social disparity

Equality

Efficiency gains on operations or transactions either through cultural or technological shifts

Productivity

Reduced use of fossil fuel energy sources and/or increased use of renewable energy

Reduce Energy Consumption

Providing electricity and gas services, including traditional and renewable energy generation, natural and manufactured gas and operating gas networks

Energy Utilities and Independent Power Producers

Using renewable energy like solar, wind, etc. or renewable fuels like biomass, etc.

Renewable energy, fuels

Participating in government programmes that support and advance the circular economy

Government programmes

Develop regenerative infrastructure

 Mzee Vedaste Hagiriryayo, 62, a resident of Kanombe Village in Karenge Cell, Jarama Sector of Ngoma District had until last year only known two sources of energy; firewood and kerosene. Today, this is a story of the past to the senior citizen and many others in his village after they were connected to solar energy in June last year, courtesy of Rwanda National Police. More than 34, 000 households were connected with solar energy across the country during the 2017 Police Week that focused on community development. “Police brought the sun to my house and my village; the sun that shines at night,” says Hagiriryayo. “Izo mpfura ntawazivuga nabi,” he says, loosely meaning that ‘no one can speak ill of our police.’ Located some 150km from Kigali in the undulating hills of Eastern Province, Kanombe is in many respects a throwback to times long passed. Shining corrugated iron-clad mud and wattle houses flank the narrow foot paths that run down the valley to the picturesque Lake Rweru. Despite the several hours of bright sunshine every day, all-year-round, Karenge is the only place that had never had electricity, of the 10 cells that make up Jarama Sector. Residents are progressively breaking away from pre-industrial era to commercial farming. The one-cow-per-poor-family scheme is also changing lives of some families that have shifted to use of biogas out of livestock wastes. With renewable energy, business activity booming and social infrastructures like the health centre being guaranteed of electricity, the welfare is steadily changing in Kanombe Village. Security, health, education and businesses are changing face for better while communication and information through more acquisition of TV sets and handsets keep residents informed on government development programmes. “Our children can now do their homework and revise at night; they are doing well in school,” says another resident. “Children used to go to bed at the same time as the rest...very early, now they have plenty of time to revise,” he adds. The solar power is also empowering villagers to create newer sources of income, or small enterprises. “The solar electricity also enabled entrepreneurs to establish groceries, people enjoy their drinks watching TV, and businesses are open for relatively more hours.” “Karenge, being a farming and fishing community, the use of cell-phones for communication with business partners is very important,” says Anita Mukasine, the cell executive secretary. Like Hagiriryayo, Jean Bosco Rutagwena, the village chief, says residents have reported incremental and significant savings because they no longer have to rely on expensive and dirty kerosene for home lighting, and they no longer have to move distances to charge telephone batteries. Lives saved The community is also seeing better health outcomes moving from archaic sources of energy, such as kerosene lamps. That there are advantages of environmental protection goes without saying. Pascal Kirusha, the head of Sangaza health centre, confirms that the arrival of solar power has significantly reduced the number of respiratory cases received at the centre. Sangaza is one of the 30 health centres that were also lit with solar energy during the RNP 17th anniversary activities, last year. Kirusha says that, with solar energy providing reliable electricity supply, the health centre can properly handle most emergencies, even at night, and has helped raise awareness on the availability of prenatal care. “Patients have since increased and have confidence in our services due to the differences brought about by lighting alone. For example, no case of an expectant mother delivering from home was reported last month in all the 24 villages served by the health centre,” says Kirusha. “Before solar was installed, patients used to go to a tertiary care hospital if they needed services, and that usually meant at least half a day’s journey; others would deliver from their homes.” Today, the centre, with seven health workers, serves a population of close to 15,000, and receives over 150 patients daily. Previously, the health centre would spend about Rwf800, 000 from its monthly gross income of Rwf2 million, on petrol to power the generator, according to Kirusha, which was saved with the coming of solar energy. “We now buy only 10 litres a month for sterilisation of medical tools and emergencies,” he says. “In cases when our generator would get faulty, we would use the light from our mobile telephones at our labour section, a potentially dangerous scenario, especially when the baby is in an awkward position, or while the mother’s cervix is small and you can’t see properly. Thankfully, with solar energy, our generator serves as backup,” explains Claudette Nambage, a midwife at the centre. Solar power makes it easy to deploy for multiple rural applications, impacting key facets of rural population such as productivity, safety, health benefits, and livelihood. It is evident that adoption of solar power as an alternative source of energy could alter the socio-economic fabric of rural Rwanda, for the better and if this pace is maintained, rural Rwanda is indeed headed for ‘sunny days’. editorial@newtimes.co.rw 

Solar power has enabled rural areas in Rwanda, such as Kanobe Village, to gain access to energy, impacting key facets of the rural population such as productivity, safety, health benefits, and livelihood. According to 2018 data, 52.4% of total energy in Rwanda is from a renewable source, but only 35.13% of the households are connected to the national grid and 11.33% have access off-grid. This indicates that there is still a need for wider access to electricity, and renewables will play a key role in increasing this coverage, especially for rural areas, followed by Kanobe Village's example.

Renewable Energy is Changing Lives in Rwanda

Roadmaps and strategies and targets

Metrics and indicators to measure progress

Institutional design to enable circularity

Advocate for circular change

Voluntary agreements around circular ambitions

Rwanda's National Environment and Climate Change Policy have been created in 2019 with the policy goal of Rwanda to have a clean and healthy environment resilient to climate variability and change that supports a high quality of life for its society. The seven objectives of the policy are (1) Greening economic transformation (2) Enhancing functional natural ecosystems and managing biosafety,(3) Strengthening meteorological and early warning services (4) Promoting climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response (5) Improving environmental well-being for Rwandans (6) Strengthening environment and climate change governance (7) Promoting green foreign and domestic direct investment and other capital inflows. To implement these policies, 22 policy statements and 127 policy actions have been identified.

National Environment and Climate Change Policy in Rwanda

Article / Report

Impact on the availability of resources as well as their effect on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of the environment.

Ecological Impact

Impacts on the social fabric of the community and well-being of the individuals and families.

Social Impact

Impacts on the financial condition of a company, as well as the the economicconditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national, andglobal levels.

Economic Impact

Impact on increased knowledge and understanding as a result of the case study

Increase Awareness

Impact on the ease of innovation, and facilitating uptake of innovations

Innovation

Providing public and private education and support services at any level or for any profession, and governmental and public administration services, including judicial, regulatory, and legislative activities, taxation, defence, public order and safety, immigration services, foreign affairs and the administration of government programmes

Education and Government Services

Operating networks and software that enable the exchange and broadcasting of information, such as entertainment and internet software, television, cable, satellite or radio broadcasting systems, and cellular, wireless and/or fixed-line telecommunications services

Software and Communications

Consider opportunities to create greater value and align incentives that build on the interaction between products and services

Rethink the business model

Account for the systems perspective during the design process, to use the right materials, to design for appropriate lifetime and to design for extended future use

Design for the future

Work together throughout the supply chain, internally within organisations and with the public sector and communities to increase transparency and create joint value

Team up to create joint value

Engaging in discussions with government bodies and policymakers to push for regulations that support the circular economy

Advocacy for circular economy policy

'Inform' increases the overall levels of awareness and builds the necessary skills and knowledge around the circular economy to foster long-term change.

Inform

Integrate principles of circularity into primary, secondary and tertiary curriculum and conduct workplace trainings

 Education and Curriculum

Data, knowledge & information sharing

Conduct research

'Mobilise' sets the direction of and builds momentum towards long-term change, while also determining how this direction is determined and governed.

Mobilise

Visions and Ambitions

Govern the Transition

 Convene Towards Action

Raise awareness and run information campaigns about  strategies for and impacts of the circular economy in different contexts.

Communication and awareness

 Develop research, structure knowledge, encourage innovation networks and disseminate findings with integrity


Strengthen and advance knowledge

 Conceived at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Kigali in 2016, and launched at COP 23 in Bonn, the Alliance was founded by three countries Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa along with UN Environment and the World Economic Forum. The 17th Ordinary Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), which took place in Durban, in November 2019, called for the widespread adoption of the circular economy on the continent. AMCEN is committed to replicate, scale-up and use circular approaches as part of Africa’s transformation efforts, in line with African Union “Agenda 2063”, and to support the work of the Alliance.  Ambition of the African Circular Economy Alliance To spur Africa’s transformation to a circular economy which delivers economic growth, jobs and positive environmental outcomes at the national, regional and continental levels. Context African countries with their vast untapped natural resources and fast-growing population, have the chance to leapfrog to a low-emission and climate-resilient development model by adopting circular economy principles that enhance social inclusivity. An effective circular model for Africa must emphasize green innovations and job creation to seize local and cross-border market opportunities, as well as enhancing climate resilience through economic diversification.    Objectives  Share best practices for the creation of legal and regulatory frameworks, the building of partnerships and the financing and creation of circular economy projects. Advocate for and raise awareness of the circular economy at a national, regional and global level. Bring about new projects and partnerships within individual or multiple countries.
 Activities  Facilitate seminars, trainings and workshops in the Member Countries on the topic of circular Economy. Encourage partnerships and sister projects in the Member Countries. Facilitate partnerships and sister projects in African and non-African countries. Develop a group of African leaders who champion the circular economy. Create coalitions to implement on the ground projects on the circular economy and initiate pilot projects in Member Countries.
 Membership & Eligibility The Alliance is open to membership from national institutions and public sector entities, international organizations, funding institutions and research centers. Current member countries include: Governments of Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa. Current strategic partners include the African Development Bank, Africa Circular Economy Network, Global Environment Facility, Government of Finland, PACE, UN Environment, UN Development Programme and World Economic Forum. Private sector membership will not be sought in the initial phase, although the Alliance will work closely with the private sector by way of consultation and collaboration on specific projects or activities. Contact Information ACEA Secretariat: acea@dalberg.com   

It is essential for Africa to revalue its waste in order to reduce the effects of the pollution it generates, which in turn has an impact on the health and well-being of populations and economic growth. Not to mention the economic interest in recovering material resources available at the places of consumption and production, whose recycling almost systematically generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions and pollution in general than production from the extraction of virgin raw materials. This observation guided the second summit of the African Circular Economic Alliance (ACEA), which was held on the 14th of November 2019 in Durban, South Africa. The work focused in particular on the adoption of the charter that the organisation wishes to adopt.
The text sets out the terms and conditions for membership and eligibility to join the Alliance (reserved only for public sector organisations). It also shows the provisions concerning the ACEA management board. The organisation has two co-chairs who serve for a five-year term. Currently held by the Environment Ministers of Rwanda and South Africa, this function consists of overseeing the strategy and direction of the Alliance, leading the secretariat and technical committee, and guiding the process of identifying and welcoming new members.
South Africa and Rwanda launched ACEA in November 2017 at COP23 in Bonn, Germany. The two countries will be joined in June 2018 by Nigeria at the first ACEA Summit in Helsinki, Finland.
Africa could save up to $186 billion a year through the circular economy
The vision of the ACEA is to build a restorative African economy that generates the well-being and prosperity of all its people through new forms of economic production and consumption, which maintain and regenerate its resources. Taking part in a public conference at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University in Cocody, Ivory Coast, on October 17, 2019, the co-founder of ACEA, Alexandre Lemille, said that the circular economy could save Africa over $186 billion, just by changing the way we consume.
Also present at the conference was Michel Benoît Coffi, Secretary General of the Abidjan Autonomous District Council Bureau, representing the Governor of Abidjan in Ivory Coast. He presented the plans for a circular economy project in his district. “The transformation of organic waste into agricultural substrate or bio-methane and the recovery of 16% of dry waste should create 42,000 new jobs”. He also pointed out that 35 to 45% of water bills can be saved if shower water is used to evacuate faeces…
Boris Ngounou


  The World Economic Forum is playing a crucial role in spurring Africa’s transformation to a circular economy that delivers economic growth, jobs and positive environmental outcomes.  Conceived by the World Economic Forum and the Government of Rwanda in 2016 and then launched in 2017, The African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) is a country-led platform, that aims to lead advocacy projects, undertake policy research and support high-impact circular-economy projects. Co-chaired by the environment ministers of Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa, with 10 member countries from across the African continent, the ACEA has given rise to a multi-donor trust fund with initial capital of €4 million. The Africa Circular Economy Support Programme (ACESP) will fund circular economy entrepreneurs and circular economy activities in countries that have joined the alliance.    In a circular economy, all resources are used to their highest value and reused continuously rather than being thrown away.  The size of the economic opportunity from rethinking how resources are used is vast. For example, there is 100 times more gold in a tonne of smartphones than a tonne of gold ore, but many phones are not properly recycled, wasting these resources. Accenture has valued this global opportunity at $4.5 trillion.  Africa is well placed to profit from this opportunity. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reports that there are 200 million people aged between 15 and 24 on the continent. This number is expected to double by 2045, providing a potential demographic dividend for fast economic growth if enough jobs are created.  The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) calculates that for every 10,000 tonnes of used goods, putting them in landfill would create six jobs, recycling them would create 36 jobs, and reuse and repair could create up to 296.    The ACEA was first conceived in collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Environment at the World Economic Forum on Africa in 2016. Rwanda has long been a leader in circular economy and was one of the first countries in the world to ban plastic bags. At the World Economic Forum on Africa in 2017, South Africa and Nigeria joined the alliance as co-chairs and ACEA was born. The Forum used its multistakeholder platform to bring the parties together and continues to provide financial and in-kind support. However, the ACEA is a country-led programme fully governed by the co-chairs. It is supported by a number of strategic partners including the Forum, the AfDB, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Government of Finland and the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy, with financial support from the Danish and Finnish governments and the Nordic Council.  The ACEA secretariat has already begun researching how circular economy approaches can aid sustainable economic growth across Africa and the findings will be presented to all environment ministers as part of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in 2021.    One ACEA project is a collaboration with the Forum’s Regional Action Group on Africa and the Africa Plastics Recycling Alliance, a coalition which includes Diageo, Unilever, The Coca-Cola Company and Nestlé. This collaboration will spark collaboration between companies and policy-makers working on building a PET bottle-to-bottle recycling industry on the continent, which will reduce waste and also create jobs.  If your organization is undertaking research on the circular economy in Africa, or if you have a high-impact project with ambitious growth targets, consider reaching out to the ACEA using the link below. You can also use the links below to find out how the World Economic Forum’s Circular Economy Initiative brings together private, public, civil society, and expert stakeholders to accelerate the circular economy transition.  
   
    
    
 
 

South Africa

Nigeria

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

Our mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

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United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Government of South Africa

PACE is a global community of leaders working together to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Our focus is on the areas that require deep collaboration between business, government and civil society, creating a space for leaders to work in partnership and overcome challenges together.

PACE - Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

It was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests. The Forum strives in all its efforts to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while upholding the highest standards of governance. Moral and intellectual integrity is at the heart of everything it does.

World Economic Forum

Government of Nigeria

The Alliance was founded by three countries: Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa along with UN Environment and the World Economic Forum which is a country-led platform, that aims to lead advocacy projects, undertake policy research and support high-impact circular-economy projects. One objective of this alliance is to share best practices for the creation of legal and regulatory frameworks, the building of partnerships and the financing and creation of circular economy projects which is done, for instance, by facilitating seminars, trainings and workshops in the member countries on the topic of the circular economy.

The African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA)

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Circle Economy and ICLEI have partnered up to initiate the go to knowledge hub of case studies about the circular economy in cities. The Cities Collection is a repository of case studies that demonstrate the role of cities in the circular transition, and includes policies, business cases and research articles. Cases in the Collection flow into an ecosystem of digital products which support users in transitioning cities to circularity, for example [Ganbatte](https://ganbatte.world/cities/) and <a href="https://circulars.iclei.org/" target="_blank">ICLEI Circulars</a>, both part of the <a href="https://circulars.iclei.org/circle-lab-for-cities/" target = _blank">Circle Lab for Cities Programme.</a>

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Circular Cities

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Providing residential and non-residential construction services, such as architectural, engineering, planning, real-estate, contracting, and inspection services

Construction and Real Estate Services

Develop infrastructure to support sustainable lifestyles

**Harmonize with nature** by promoting infrastructure, production systems and sourcing that allows natural ecosystems to thrive




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Regenerate

Do better with less by using and supporting infrastructure, processes and products that are designed to minimize material, water and energy use and waste generation from production to end of use


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Reduce

Prioritize solutions that use the power of functioning ecosystems as infrastructure to provide natural services to benefit society and the environment; consider nature-based replacements for grey infrastructure.

Prioritise renewable resources 

Ensure that infrastructure and built assets in the city are designed and upgraded to be as resource-efficient as possible.

Design infrastructure and the built environment for resource efficiency

Cities consume about 75% of global energy and emit between 50% and 60% of global greenhouse gases (UN-Habitat). To reduce the negative impact of their energy consumption, cities need to shift away from fossil fuels and move towards renewable energy sources. Such a shift will help cities work towards their climate change mitigation and adaptation action plans. Renewable energy technologies such as wind, water, solar, and geothermal can also help improve access to energy in vulnerable and marginalised neighbourhoods through, for example, decentralised, off-grid solutions.

Renewable energy technologies can harvest the energy in nature’s processes, such as wind, and solar radiation and geothermal heat, that can be replenished within a human lifespan. In contrast, fossil fuels are materials that are not replenished within a human lifespan and are combusted for energy, losing the fuel material and resulting in emissions.

Local governments can develop sustainable energy plans, considering different energy resources and requirements, to develop a robust strategy for the development of renewable energy technologies and infrastructure throughout the city. They can also institute specific legislation and tax systems to regulate energy production and consumption, incentivise research and development of cleaner, more efficient technologies. Via Power Purchase Agreements cities can buy renewable energy from green energy providers and fix the price in order to provide security to financial institutions to finance renewable energy infrastructure. Furthermore, increasing awareness and facilitating capacity-building on planning urban sustainable energy projects can help the uptake of clean energy across the city by different stakeholders—from citizens to businesses and institutions. Facilitating collaboration, then, will be crucial, since private companies operate most of the world’s energy systems.


⚡ Energy Systems

The built environment, including housing, commercial buildings, and the necessary infrastructure for mobility, is essential for our livelihoods, but:
- the extraction of minerals used to produce construction materials is responsible for a quarter of global land use change,
- approximately 40% of global GHG emissions can be attributed to buildings’ construction, use and demolition, and
- construction and demolition processes drive nearly one-third of all material consumption. 

Making the built environment more circular must prioritise a heavy reduction in material use—while also closing the loop on materials and bringing secondary and renewable material choices to the fore. Our four key solutions for the built environment are:
- Make the most of what already exists: Make the most of existing materials by reusing, repurposing, upgrading and renovating following circular approaches. Where new builds are needed, use secondary materials and be as efficient as possible with urban planning solutions that follow circular design principles so that buildings can be reused, repurposed, and easily disassembled in the future.
- Be as energy efficient as possible: From the design phase, utilise circular strategies to create material- and energy efficient buildings. Couple these designs with a rollout of clean energy solutions, and prioritise energy-efficient appliances and retrofitting. 
- Utilise secondary materials: Maximise the high-value reuse of buildings and components where possible. Ideally, enable the utilisation of construction and demolition outputs and ensure that as much of it as possible is recycled to avoid the need for virgin materials, such as sand and gravel.
- Prioritise circular materials and approaches: Transition to using renewable wood, timber or cross-laminated timber instead of steel and concrete, or move to other locally available materials. Utilise mainstream modular construction and prioritise lightweight frames and structures to reduce cement and steel use, as well as green roofs where possible.



🏢 Built Environment

Businesses

Communities

Governments

The Circular City Actions Framework provides urban changemakers with five complementary strategies they can use to start working towards a more circular system. 

The framework is action-based to provide users with concrete strategic directions and showcase the desired outcomes of each strategy. 
The framework consists of five complementary **strategies**, under which **sub-strategies** provide further detail. Finally, each sub-strategy consists of a diversity of tangible **solutions** which are framed in relation to key thematic areas. 

Note: solutions are currently focused on:
- 🍏 **Food systems**
- 🏢  **Built environment**
- 👕📱  **Consumer goods**
- ⚡ **Energy Systems**
- 🚌 **Mobility Systems**
- 💧 **Water Systems**

More thematic areas are coming soon...

'Click through each of the five strategy cards below to explore the framework and circular economy case studies in more depth!'



This framework was developed in collaboration with ICLEI, Metabolic and Ellen MacArthur Foundation with support from the MAVA Foundation. Read more about it [here]( https://circulars.iclei.org/action-framework/). 



Circular City Actions Framework

An action-based framework for local governments working towards circular cities

Thematic Areas

City Stakeholders

The Government of Rwanda has the first funds for the implementation of its Kigali Green City project. The grant of 10 billion Rwandan francs (more than 9.6 million euros) is awarded by Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the German development agency.
The financing agreement was signed a few days ago in Kigali by German envoy Thomas Kurz and Uzziel Ndagijimana, the Rwandan Minister of Finance and Economic Planning. This is the first part of German funding for this important sustainable development project in Rwanda. Berlin plans to inject a further €20 million for the development of the Kigali Green City project.
A green city pilot project
About 16 km from the Rwandan capital, more precisely in Kinyinya, in the district of Gasabo, the government wants to build a green city on an area of 620 hectares. The sustainable city will consist of 1,749 housing units built on 18 hectares. The specificity of these dwellings lies in the fact that they will be supplied with electricity produced from renewable sources such as solar energy.
The houses will be connected to a wastewater and rainwater collection system. Effluent will be treated and reused. The Government of Rwanda is also planning to build commercial establishments and offices to accommodate “innovative green enterprises”. “Housing in the green city of Kigali will be affordable. The project aims to demonstrate that green building is a necessity, not a luxury, by working to change the stereotype that sustainability is expensive. Living in resource-efficient housing will significantly reduce electricity and water bills for a population that often spends up to 20% of its income on utilities,” the government says on the project’s platform.
The development of the ecological city of Kigali will require an investment of more than €1.3 billion from the Rwandan government. The implementation of the project has been entrusted to the Rwanda Green Fund (Fonerwa). It also receives support from the United Nations Green Climate Fund (GCF).
Jean Marie Takouleu


Kigali

City of Kigali

Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau

The Rwandan government has received the first funds for their Kigali Green City project. The sustainable city will be comprised of 1,749 housing units spread over 18 hectares, all of which will be powered by renewable energy sources such as solar energy. A wastewater and rainwater collection system will also be installed in each home. The effluent will be treated then reused. Additionally, the plan entails building offices to house creative green businesses.

Resource efficiency and renewable resources for the development of a Green City in Kigali

Contributing to the improvement of biodiversity including species diversity, total number of protected species, and ecosystem health

Biodiversity

Producing building materials and providing services to create residential and non-residential infrastructure and real estate


Construction and Infrastructure

The City of Kigali is planning to promote green growth along with economic and social improvements in the city by their Kigali Master Plan 2050. Planners are attempting to create a balance between rapid growth and the preservation of the city's greenery, biodiversity, and heritage. Various plans were put in motion as part of the Master Plan to respond to the realities of climate change to build the resilience of the city. Flood risks will be reduced, drainage systems will be improved, and other improvements will be integrated to optimize land usage. The plan doesn not directly link to circular economy, however it overlaps with the circular concepts of resource efficiency and regenerate to protect and restore local ecosystems.