A Circular Economy Article Series with NextBillion
We’ve partnered with NextBillion on an article series focused on waste-to-value and circular economy.
The first article in the series ‘Trash Talk: Why the Circular Economy Could be Sub-Saharan Africa’s Latest Leapfrog Industry’ is focused on business models innovations by profiling market leaders, like Mr Green Africa in Kenya, Wecyclers in Nigeria, Ywaste in South Africa, etc. The second article in the series ‘Curbing Deforestation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Why Woodfuel Alternatives Are a Key Sustainable Solution’ examines the rampant deforestation in East Africa, and outlines a solution. We partnered with our portfolio company, Vuma Biofuels, to draft this article. The third article ‘From Problem to Profit: Rewiring the E-Waste Value Chain in Africa’ explores trailblazing trash entrepreneurs turning the growing e-waste problem into profit by rewiring a broken value chain.
Stay tuned for the fourth and final article.
Article 1: Trash Talk: A teaser
‘We’ve all read the articles on sub-Saharan Africa’s growing tendency to leapfrog the rest of the world in establishing widespread access to digital infrastructure and new technologies. This has been exemplified by the rapid uptake of mobile banking, peer-to-peer finance, decentralized off-grid energy solutions, drone delivery of medication such as COVID-19 vaccines, etc. Could the same thing happen with the circular economy? Could sub-Saharan Africa lead the way in popularizing waste-to-value innovations as well? An increasing number of trailblazing entrepreneurs think so.’
To read the full article, visit NextBillion here.
Article 2: Curbing deforestation: A teaser
‘Deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa is rampant. Africa has roughly one-sixth of the world’s remaining forests but accounts for a staggering 43% of recent global deforestation. It’s the only region in the world where the pace of forest loss has increased in each of the last three decades. Many countries, including Kenya, have lost more than 75% of their tree cover in the lifespan of a single generation. … At Kenya-based Vuma Biofuels, we are developing woodfuel substitutes, while peers of ours (like Komaza) are focused on the complementary approach of planting more trees. Our market-based approach of providing superior and sustainable woodfuel-alternative energy is the crux of our deforestation solution.’
To read the full article, visit NextBillion here.
Article 3: Rewiring the E-Waste Value Chain: A teaser
‘Africa is home to bountiful reserves of metals and minerals such as gold, diamond, cobalt, bauxite, iron ore, coal and copper. But these reserves have often been associated with a resource curse, and hence have not unleashed the desired economic transformation.
However, an “urban mine” is quietly growing in the hands of the region’s emerging digital population, in the form of electronic devices, such as mobile phones and laptops, that are loaded with remarkable amounts of precious metals.
Unfortunately, these devices often end up in overflowing landfills at their end-of-life – left for scrap workers who gather them from these toxic environments. But trailblazing trash entrepreneurs on the African continent are increasingly aware that these landfills are, quite literally, gold mines – and they are turning this growing problem into profit by rewiring the broken e-waste value chain.
To read the full article, visit NextBillion here.