AfDB partners with 30 SMEs to amplify circular economy efforts

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has selected 30 promising Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Rwanda to receive funding and technical assistance to scale up their circular economy initiatives.

The AfriCircular Innovators Programme, supported by the AfDB’s Africa Circular Economy Facility (ACEF), aims to foster sustainable and inclusive growth by supporting innovative solutions that reduce waste and promote resource efficiency.

The 30 selected enterprises, representing a diverse range of sectors including packaging, food systems, built environment, electronics, and fashion and textile, will receive support to implement their circular economy projects.

Among the beneficiaries are companies developing smart energy metering, using coconut husks for construction, transforming plastic waste into building blocks, and digitalizing e-waste management.

One of the selected businesses, Ndintambwe Feeds Limited from Rwanda, produces affordable animal feed using insects and maggots, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional feed sources.

Read also:

• 
  FG launches ₦20bn consumer credit fund for automotive growth
• 
  Enugu SME Center empowers youths through construction skills TVET programme
• 
  AfDB, Italy sign $6B deal, BoI secures $50M for SMEs
• 
  Delta ALGON Chair hails Oborevwori’s empowerment drive
• 
  FG to set up multi-level steering committee to boost industrial growth
• 
  African SMEs forum champions Intra-African trade, ‘Made in Africa’
  

The founder of Ndintambwe Feeds, Jean-Bosco Nshutiyimana, expressed gratitude for the support, emphasizing the challenges faced by SMEs in the region. “Limited financial capacity and a lack of necessary skills are major obstacles for us,” he said.

Another beneficiary, Siboré Luxury Hair, highlighted the importance of the AfriCircular Innovators Programme in helping the company optimize its production processes and reduce waste.

By investing in these innovative SMEs, the AfDB is contributing to the creation of sustainable jobs and promoting a circular economy in Africa, a region with a rapidly growing youth population.