LocationsAfrica unites to turn the circular economy opportunity into action at the 2026 ACEA annual meeting
July 30, 2026
Abidjan, 2 July 2026 – The African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA), hosted by the African Development Bank, has concluded its 2026 Annual Meeting with a clear message: Africa's circular economy agenda must now move decisively from policy commitments to large-scale implementation.
Held from 30 June to 2 July 2026 under the theme "Scaling Africa's Circular Transition: From Policy to Sector-Wide Action," the Annual Meeting brought together representatives from 23 African countries, alongside development partners, financial institutions, private sector leaders, entrepreneurs, standards bodies, and trade organizations. The meeting was hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) through the Africa Circular Economy Facility (ACEF), which funds the Alliance, with strategic support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE).
The gathering reflected the remarkable growth of the Alliance. Since its launch by Rwanda, Nigeria, and South Africa a decade ago, ACEA has evolved into Africa's leading platform for advancing circular economy solutions, now comprising 23 member countries and more than 20 strategic partners working to accelerate sustainable and inclusive economic transformation across the continent.
The meeting took place against a rapidly changing economic and development landscape. While Africa's economy continues to demonstrate resilience and growth, participants emphasized that the continent must increasingly generate greater value from the resources it already possesses. Circular economy approaches - through resource efficiency, reuse, repair, remanufacturing, recycling, and sustainable production systems - offer a pathway to boost competitiveness, unlock new industries, create employment opportunities, and strengthen economic resilience.
Participants highlighted the growing recognition of the circular economy as a strategic development and industrialization agenda. With the African Union's Circular Economy Action Plan (2024 - 2034) providing continental direction and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) creating opportunities for regional markets, Africa is uniquely positioned to scale circular business models and develop regional value chains that retain more value within the continent.
Speaking at the Annual Meeting, Dr. Anthony Nyong, Director of Climate Change and Green Growth at the AfDB, stressed the importance of transforming how Africa utilizes its resources: "Africa must retain more value on the continent. For too long, it has exported raw materials and imported finished products, limiting industrialization and jobs. The circular economy offers a different pathway, one that lets us recover, repair, remanufacture and reuse resources within our own economies”.
The circular economy offers a different pathway, one that lets us recover, repair, remanufacture and reuse resources within our own economies.Dr. Anthony Nyong, Director of Climate Change and Green Growth, AfDB
The discussions placed particular emphasis on critical raw materials and the need to move beyond simply exporting resources toward building competitive regional industries. Participants called for stronger investments in circular enterprises, expanded access to finance, harmonized standards, and strengthened regional markets to enable businesses to scale from pilot initiatives to industrial-level operations. On behalf of PAGE, ILO also shared insights on the need for Africa’s ambitious circular economy transition to be inclusive and ensure decent work and employment for all stakeholder groups, especially those most at risk of being left behind.
UNDP underscored the importance of translating circular economy ambition into tangible development outcomes. "Africa's circular economy transition is not only an environmental imperative - it is an economic opportunity. By keeping materials in use, extending product lifecycles, and building regional value chains, African countries can create jobs, strengthen resilience, support industrialization, and accelerate progress towards sustainable development. The time has come to move from commitment to implementation at scale." – Gael Ollivier, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Cote D’Ivoire.
The Annual Meeting also showcased practical examples of circular innovation already delivering results. Côte d'Ivoire Recyclage (CIREC), supported through the first cohort of the ACEF-funded AfriCircular Innovators Programme, demonstrated how targeted financing, supportive policies, and market access can transform resource recovery into a viable and scalable industry. As noted by Adolphe Monney of CIREC: "A recovered device is not waste diverted. It is material, skill and value retained within the economy. With the right finance, standards and market access, electronics recovery becomes African industry."
A major outcome of the meeting was the agreement among member countries and partners to advance a common African vision for the circular economy and amplify this collective voice in upcoming global forums. Participants further committed to strengthening collaboration ahead of international processes, such as COP31, COP32, the High Level Political Forum and the World Circular Economy Forum, with a focus on integrating resource efficiency and circular economy principles into climate finance, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), resilient infrastructure, and sustainable industrial development strategies.
The 2026 ACEA Annual Meeting reaffirmed that Africa possesses the resources, entrepreneurial talent, policy frameworks, and market opportunities needed to lead a circular transformation. Participants agreed that the next phase will require stronger partnerships, accelerated investment, supportive regulations, and coordinated action across governments, businesses, financial institutions, and development partners.
As the meeting concluded, the message was clear: Africa's circular economy transition has moved beyond vision-setting. The priority now is implementation - building projects, mobilizing finance, scaling enterprises, creating jobs, and ensuring that Africa captures greater value from its resources for the benefit of its people and future generations.