AFRICA – Uganda has taken a major step towards creating a circular economy to drive sustainable growth and green industrialisation in line with its Vision 2040 national agenda.
With the support of the African Development Bank, the country launched the circular economy roadmap process on 31 January 2024 in the capital, Kampala. Representatives of the government and the African Development Bank attended.
The initiative, implemented jointly with the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) and backed through the bank’s Africa Circular Economy Facility (ACEF), will engage government policymakers, businesses and civil society organizations in efforts to tap the full potential of circularity to accelerate progress towards sustainable development goals and climate action.
The bank is supporting the implementation of Uganda’s Green Growth Development strategy to deliver inclusive socio-economic development and growth, including job creation while protecting the country’s natural capital and addressing climate change.
The country’s seven million youths are among those likely to benefit most from the creation of green jobs. The transition to a circular economy is also expected to boost household incomes.
Dr Joshua Mutambi, Commissioner in Uganda’s ministry of trade, industry and cooperatives, which is leading the development of the national circular economy roadmap, delivered opening remarks at the launch. He said: “Uganda, being at the initial stage of its industrialization, is privileged to pursue the path toward sustainable transition that enables us to avoid the consequences of resource inefficient industrialization.”
“Circular economy roadmaps are policy enablers to direct investments in efficient use of Africa’s natural assets, generating dividends for nature and the people,” said Dr Anthony Nyong, African Development Bank director for Climate Change and Green Growth, at the launch.
Development of Uganda’s Circular Economy Roadmap is part of a multi-country programme of the ACEF covering Ethiopia, Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Uganda.
ACEF is a have been achieved, multi-donor trust fund supported by the government of Finland and the Nordic Development Fund. It provides technical assistance to both the public and private sectors to mainstream circular economy.
The circular economy roadmap process aligns with the African Development Bank’s Uganda Country Strategy Paper 2022-2026, which aims to create higher value-added jobs and reduce poverty. The process also advances the bank’s Climate Change and Green Growth Action Plan (2021-2025).
Circular economy policy support is one of the pillars of the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA)(link is external), an initiative by African countries to spearhead circular practices in economic development in line with the African Union Circular Economy Action Plan.
The ACEA secretariat is hosted by the African Development Bank within the Climate Change and Green Growth Department.
