Transforming African economies to sustainable circular models

The African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA), launched in 2017 by the World Economic Forum and the Government of Rwanda, is a country-led platform designed to advocate for and support circular economy projects across Africa. Co-chaired by Rwanda, Nigeria, and South Africa, the alliance manages the Africa Circular Economy Support Programme (ACESP), a multi-donor trust fund with €4 million in initial capital to fund entrepreneurs and circular activities. The initiative leverages the potential of Africa's youth population and the high job-creation potential of reuse and repair sectors compared to landfilling. Current efforts include researching sustainable growth and collaborating with the Africa Plastics Recycling Alliance to develop a PET bottle-to-bottle recycling industry.

• The African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) is a country-led platform launched in 2017 to lead advocacy, conduct policy research, and support high-impact circular-economy projects in Africa.
• The Africa Circular Economy Support Programme (ACESP) serves as a multi-donor trust fund with an initial capital of €4 million to provide funding for circular economy activities and entrepreneurs in member countries.
• Circular economy models offer significantly higher job creation potential than traditional waste disposal; for every 10,000 tonnes of used goods, reuse and repair can create up to 296 jobs, compared to only six jobs for landfilling.
• The ACEA is collaborating with the Africa Plastics Recycling Alliance and companies such as Diageo, Unilever, The Coca-Cola Company, and Nestlé to establish a PET bottle-to-bottle recycling industry in Africa.

APA

Aguilar, M., & Jha, P. (2020). Transforming African economies to sustainable circular models. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/impact/the-african-circular-economy-alliance-impact-story/

Chicago

Aguilar, Marco, and Prachi Jha. Transforming African economies to sustainable circular models. World Economic Forum, 2020. https://www.weforum.org/impact/the-african-circular-economy-alliance-impact-story/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aguilar |first1=Marco |last2=Jha |first2=Prachi |title=Transforming African economies to sustainable circular models |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=18 November 2020 |url=https://www.weforum.org/impact/the-african-circular-economy-alliance-impact-story/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aguilar2020transforming, author = {Aguilar, Marco and Jha, Prachi}, title = {{Transforming African economies to sustainable circular models}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://www.weforum.org/impact/the-african-circular-economy-alliance-impact-story/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }