Key highlights from the International Solid Waste Association 2024 stakeholders’ breakfast in Nairobi, Kenya
On Monday, 22 April 2024, the GSMA’s ClimateTech and Digital Utilities programmes attended a stakeholders engagement breakfast hosted by TakaTaka Ni Mali foundation, the East African Business Council (EABC), Africa Waste is Wealth Series (AWWS), and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) at the Nairobi Serena hotel. The session brought together plastic and waste sector experts, policymakers, innovators, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and thought leaders from across East Africa to advance conversations on actionable strategies to drive progress in sustainable waste management practices.
The breakfast session also served as a precursor to the upcoming International Solid Waste Association World Conference 2024 (ISWA 2024). As such, conversations centred around the overarching conference theme: ‘Waste To Wealth: Solutions For a Sustainable Future’. Stakeholders delved into unpacking the theme, discussing how implementing effective circular economy models in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is key to successful waste management. Here are some key takeaways from the session.
The global waste challenge
Stakeholders raised concerns over Africa’s rapid urbanisation and the infrastructure that is quickly becoming overburdened in managing the growing volumes of waste generated across major cities. Insights shared by ISWA from the report they jointly published with the United Nations Environment Programme, Beyond an age of waste, point to the global municipal solid waste generation that is rapidly growing, with a projected increase from 2.3 billion tonnes in 2023 to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. This presents significant economic implications: in 2020, the direct cost of waste management was estimated at USD 252 billion. This could nearly double to USD 640 billion by 2050 if no action is taken. The situation calls for collaboration and innovation as key drivers for sustainable waste management across Africa.
Circularity and achieving global goals
Sharing perspectives on the performance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their impact on the pathways to sustainable waste management, stakeholders emphasised the need to adress the recorded trends on SDG performance. They noted that the relationship between SDGs and sustainable waste management cannot be overlooked. This position is informed by findings shared in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)’s annual Highlights Report 2022-2023, which demonstrates the link between circularity and human rights, labour laws, and commercial ethics. The successful delivery of the SDGs by participating parties implies successful implementation of circularity models. However, this report also paints a worrying landscape of the SDGs in the face of multiple crises; it indicates that only 12% of the sustainable development goals are currently on track, with 50% off course, and more than 20% moving backwards. This situation calls for innovative solutions and increased collaborations to enhance transparency in the implementation of the SDGs and circularity.
Exploring Public Private Partnerships
Proactive accountability and innovative approaches for the improvement of urban designs, planning and public service delivery are key to the successful delivery of circularity models. While Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) may appear complex to establish, they are critical for unlocking multiple benefits in circularity. PPPs allow both public and private parties to bring their skills to the table to improve quality and reliability in waste management. PPPs in circularity help the public sector to save money and reduce risks, while delivering a stronger service for the good of the environment and society. Importantly, PPPs can also help private companies in waste management to recover costs and stay incentivised for sustainable waste management.
The importance of an enabling environment
Stakeholders were in agreement that creating an enabling environment for circularity is crucial in the region, as high tax measures affect the importation and acquisition of recycling equipment and machinery. Despite several regulations on waste management being passed in East Africa, the lack of effective enforcement remains a key challenge in achieving sustainable waste management across most of the region’s markets. Policymakers were encouraged to consider public participation and awareness as pivotal to the development and effective implementation of waste management regulations and initiatives. Business membership organisations observed that the development and implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility regulations and the establishment of Producer Responsibility Organisations will help catalyse the implementation of waste management regulations and strengthen circularity value chains.
Collaborating for circularity
Promising circular economy solutions are emerging, alongside a growing interest in digital technology for sustainable waste management. Two significant initiatives were launched during the sessions:
- 1. Unveiling of the East Africa Circular Solutions Network, focused on fostering a robust network of stakeholders implementing circularity models across the region and beyond.
- 2. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Safaricom PLC and TakaTaka Ni Mali, marking a new partnership focused on the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for sustainable waste management.
The partnership between Safaricom PLC and TakaTaka Ni Mali aligns with insights shared in the GSMA’s publication on Catalysing Partnerships in Plastics, highlighting mutually beneficial engagements between two such parties. This partnership is a prime example of a collaboration catalysed by the GSMA between a mobile network operators and a waste management organisation, set to deliver multiple benefits across the ‘triple bottom line’ of People, Planet and Profit.
TakaTaka Ni Mali, a female-led organisation dedicated to transforming Africa’s waste management landscape through a circular economy approach, has adopted a critical circular economy growth and impact strategy. This includes developing an integrated framework for public and private sectors to derive value from waste management and capacity building programs that leverage technology to connect stakeholders in the waste management value chain. Safaricom PLC believes that technology can play a key role in addressing the waste management challenge. By employing innovative solutions, waste can be transformed from a problem into multiple opportunities.
Images: MOU signing between Safaricom Senior Officer Sustainable Business and Social Impact, Mr. Owen Ombima and TakaTaka Ni Mali Head of Product and Technology David Ngechu witnessed by GSMA’s Senior Market Engagement Manager, Alfred Osiko.
It’s evident that digital platforms are emerging as critical solutions for serving stakeholders at the bottom of the pyramid in the waste management ecosystem. Mobile and digital platforms can provide structure, identity and access to bundled micro products such as insurance, loans and savings, necessary for improving livelihoods. The GSMA’s publication on Digital Dividends in Plastic Recycling outlines the benefits that digital tools and services could offer to players in the plastic or waste management value chain, including aggregators, recyclers, tech firms, and governments.
Image: Participants at the stakeholders engagement breakfast.
What’s next?
The event signalled a significant advancement for sustainable waste management efforts in East Africa, bringing together key players to discuss collaborative solutions and launching two new promising initiatives. For ongoing impact, it is important to consider:
- Partnerships: Encouraging circularity stakeholders to embrace collaboration, particularly through PPPs focused on sustainable waste management, is crucial. Rather than viewing engagements through a competitive lens, stakeholders should recognise the potential benefits unlocked through collaborations. Partnerships like TakaTaka Ni Mali and Safaricom PLC can clearly demonstrate the viability of such collaborations, particularly in implementing tech-driven circular economy solutions in the region.
- Engagement: It is essential for stakeholders in the region to convene not only at the ISWA 2024 event but also at gatherings such as the Africa Waste is Wealth Series, an exclusive initiative by TakaTaka Ni Mali Foundation. These platforms can help to sustain the momentum surrounding escalating environmental concerns and the urgent need for effective waste management solutions across Africa. The awareness and public participation driven by the Africa Waste is Wealth series can serve as a critical pillar in accelerating the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans in East African countries. These convenings can help to mobilise climate financing and cultivate innovative partnerships. Learn more about the 2nd Africa Waste is Wealth conference happening in 2024 on their website here.
- Government action: While there is impressive progress on the proliferation of waste management regulations, governments in the region should consider working closely with private sector players to establish material recovery facilities, improve waste management governance structures and establish waste management value chain linkages through initiatives like take-back schemes.
By collectively addressing these points, stakeholders can further advance sustainable waste management efforts in East Africa, paving the way for a cleaner, more sustainable future for the region.
If you have a solution that addresses waste management or would like to contribute to our ongoing work on this topic, email us here or to keep up to date on the GSMA’s latest news and updates by signing up to our newsletter here.
This initiative was funded by UK International Development from the UK Government and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and is supported by the GSMA and its members.
