LocationsContinental Alignment for Circular Economy Transformation in Africa
2025 annual meeting of the Africa Circular Economy Alliance
October 13, 2025
Event Details
October 14, 2025
-
October 16, 2025
UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa | Online
Background
The African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) is a coalition of 17 African countries, founded in 2016, committed to advancing a circular economy that drives sustainable growth, job creation and environmental benefits. Supported by partners including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Alliance promotes policy innovation, advocacy and collaboration across five priority sectors: food systems, packaging, the built environment, fashion and electronics. ACEA also facilitates knowledge sharing, regional integration and harmonized standards.
The 2025 Annual Meeting will address fragmented efforts, strengthen collaboration and align national and continental strategies to support Africa’s transition to a unified, inclusive and sustainable circular economy. The meeting is co-hosted by the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa in Addis Ababa.
Objectives
- Promote alignment across national, regional and continental circular economy initiatives to foster coherence and scale
- Mobilize political and technical momentum to implement national circular economy roadmaps, the African Union Commission (AUC) Circular Economy Action Plan and other related initiatives
- Explore the role of regional institutions and frameworks in driving circular economy industrialization and integration across African value chains
- Deepen collaboration among ACEA member countries and regional partners to accelerate policy harmonization, innovation and investment
- Identify shared priorities and actionable next steps to strengthen cross-country learning and joint implementation through South-South and triangular cooperation
Expected participants
African member states: Senior technical officers from ministries responsible for circular economy in the following countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia.
Regional bodies and development partners: UNDP, AfDB, European Union, Finland, UNEP, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), International Labour Organization (ILO), Ellen MacArthur Foundation, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), African Union, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), and two sub-regional economic communities: the East African Community (EAC) and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).
Programme overview (GMT+3)
Day 1 – Tuesday, 14 October 2025
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00–10:00 | High-level opening session |
| 10:30–10:35 | Introduction of Circular Economy SME Exhibition |
| 10:45–11:45 | Session 1: State of play – progress, opportunities and challenges in Africa’s circular economy landscape (evolution of the five Big Bets) |
| 11:45–12:45 | Session 2: Pathways for regional integration for the circular economy in Africa – aligning national, regional and continental initiatives for coherence along the African Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan |
| 13:45–14:45 | Session 3: Thematic showcases – circular economy opportunities within sectors, challenges and value for regional integration (plastics, electronics, built environment, textiles, NDC integration and financing) |
| 15:00–16:30 | Session 4: Thematic deep dives – group discussions with country members on scale-up opportunities and the role of national and regional frameworks |
Day 2 – Wednesday, 15 October 2025
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:30–10:30 | Session 5: Fireside chat – perspectives on the future of circular economy financing in Africa |
| 11:00–12:00 | Session 6: Finland’s circular economy experience and panel discussion – realizing circular economy results in-country through harmonization and policy alignment, investment and financing, technology and innovation |
| 12:00–12:30 | Launch of the Plastics EPR Case Study by the Government of Seychelles, UNDP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) ISLANDS Indian Ocean Project |
| 14:00–16:30 | Workshop on Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) |
Day 3 – Thursday, 16 October 2025
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00–10:00 | Recap and Annual Meeting key takeaways |
| 10:00–10:30 | ACEA stock-take |
| 10:30–11:00 | Introduction of new ACEA member countries and partners |
| 11:30–12:30 | ACEA Secretariat planning session – 2026 action plan |
| 12:30–12:40 | ACEA 2025 closing session |
| 13:30–17:00 | Site visit to a circular economy facility in Addis Ababa and reflections |
Online participation
The meeting will be open to the public through the following Zoom links: