Scenarios for Africa’s Circular Economy Future: A view from students and young professionals

Scenarios for Africa's Circular Economy Future: A view from students and young professionals

 

There are many paths a circular economy might take; which one might the continent seize?

In a Cape Town workshop in March 2022, a collection of young African professionals and students contemplated various futures for how the circular economy might play out in Africa. Having spent a week reading, watching, debating and refining, they are ready to share their experiences with us now. Join us in this session to discover what they have to say.

 

Scénarios pour l’avenir de l’économie circulaire en Afrique : Le point de vue des étudiants et des jeunes professionnels

Lors d’un atelier organisé au Cap en mars 2022, un groupe de jeunes professionnels et d’étudiants africains ont réfléchi à différents avenirs possibles pour l’économie circulaire en Afrique. Après avoir passé une semaine à lire, regarder, débattre et approfondir, ils sont prêts à partager leurs expériences avec nous maintenant. Rejoignez-nous dans cette session pour découvrir ce qu’ils ont à dire.

 

Host: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Colin Webster

Learning Content Manager, Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Tom l’Geme

Circular Economy Research Associate, African Leadership University (ALU)

Esther Martins

Dean, Built Environment Faculty, Inscape Education Group

Ridhwana Shaik

Founder, Green Start Ideas

Session Summary

This webinar, hosted by Colin Webster (Ellen MacArthur Foundation) explored the results of an interactive workshop on the circular economy in Africa in March 2022, where workshop participants imagined 2 possible futures for the circular economy.

The session, entitled Scenarios for Africa’s Circular Economy Future: A view from students and young professionals, highlighted scenarios from three groups which were represented by Ridhwana Shaik (Green Start Ideas), Tom I’Geme (African Leadership University) and Esther Williams (Inscape Education Group). They each gave their perspectives on the value of the workshop as a vital networking opportunity that has created a community of circular economy enthusiasts in Africa. They highlighted the value of and need for a change in the ways in which we think and learn, emphasizing the value of systems thinking and the importance of critically thinking through problems through a circular economy lens.

While this session brought to light the importance of creating opportunities of learning and sharing, it most importantly, emphasised the need to take these ideas and approaches beyond the workshop and tertiary education, into unconventional spaces of learning and professional settings.