On the outskirts of Addis Ababa, 30-year-old Behailu Seboka, founder of Askema Engineering, is turning waste into opportunity. His company manufactures brake pads from discarded slaughterhouse materials—a business that started as a university project and now employs 268 people while serving 6,400 customers across Ethiopia. Askema Engineering, featured at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA), demonstrates how innovation, when supported by the right policies and investment, can make the circular economy both environmentally and economically beneficial.
Across Africa, similar initiatives are driving the continent’s shift toward circularity. In Madagascar, the Ministry of the Environment collaborates with local innovators to recycle polyethylene sachets into thread for handbags, while in Burkina Faso, plastic waste is transformed into paving stones and furniture for public institutions. These projects highlight the core of the circular economy model—sustainability through resource efficiency, recycling, and waste elimination.
Africa’s embrace of the circular economy is not only an environmental strategy but also an economic opportunity. Each year, over 10 million young Africans enter the job market, yet only about 3.1 million jobs are created. With the global circular economy market valued at $546 billion and capable of generating up to 11 million new jobs in Africa by 2030, circularity offers a powerful solution for employment creation and inclusive development.
The African Circular Economy Alliance, which now includes 21 member countries, is at the forefront of integrating circular principles into national development strategies. Its mission is to turn the ecological transition into a driver of economic growth and regional integration. The 2025 ACEA Annual Meeting, held from 14–16 October in Addis Ababa, served as a hub for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration to scale up circular business models that deliver both environmental and financial returns.
The meeting brought together representatives from member states and 19 partner organizations, including the African Union, the European Union, the African Development Bank, ARSO, UNDP, and UNEP. Discussions focused on harmonizing standards, improving access to financing, and aligning industrial policies to strengthen Africa’s circular economy ecosystem. The African Circular Economy Fund (ACEF), an initiative of the African Development Bank Group, and the African Union’s Continental Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) are key tools advancing this transformation in line with Agenda 2063.
Finland’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Sinikka Antila, praised the Alliance and the African Development Bank for their steadfast leadership, noting that the growing number of ACEA members reflects increasing global confidence in Africa’s circular vision. Similarly, Chad’s representative in Ethiopia, Aubin Ndodjide, commended the Alliance’s efforts to turn circular economy concepts into practical solutions and sustainable jobs for youth across the continent.
The African Development Bank Group has made circularity a core pillar of its Ten-Year Strategy (2024–2033), identifying it as fundamental to achieving sustainable prosperity. The Bank’s new Four Cardinal Points agenda—expanding access to capital, reforming financial systems, leveraging demographic potential, and investing in resilient infrastructure—embodies the same philosophy. As noted by Nathaniel Oluoch Agola, the Bank’s Acting Country Director in Ethiopia, “The circular economy links the Bank Group’s four cardinal points in a single equation: transforming Africa’s resources, ideas, and youth into levers of economic power.”
