Ethiopia drafting circular economy roadmap with African Development Bank 

Ethiopia aims to cut carbon emissions by 68.8 percent by 2030. To achieve that, the East African country’s leaders are partnering with the African Development Bank Group to create a National Circular Economy Roadmap, or NCER, to fix those problems, a July 30 press release said.

"The Circular Economy in Africa represents a billion-dollar opportunity and is part of the solution to climate change,” said John Bosco Bukenya, the Bank Group’s principal country program officer in Ethiopia. “To unleash this potential, we need to establish an enabling environment, and that's exactly what we are doing with the NCER.”

The NCER will guide Ethiopians as they seek to boost the recycling and reuse of more products and materials, employ more people in green and traditional jobs, and curb greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. 

It will also help Ethiopian policymakers, businesses, and consumers craft legal and institutional frameworks to foster circular economies, build public and private-sector capacity, and use resources more efficiently. These goals are also part of Ethiopia’s 10-Year Development Plan, which focuses on agricultural sector industrialization, improved connectivity, and commercial competitiveness. 

"The circular economy is not an option. It is mandatory for Ethiopia,” said Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority Deputy Director-General Nugus Lemma at a July 19 launch event in the capital of Addis Ababa. "This is an economic model that will help the country to adopt a more sustainable path, and it is our responsibility to work together to make it happen in our country."

Similar efforts are underway in Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Uganda. ce/jd