“Opportunities exist but on a smaller scale in African countries.”
Participants identified a wide range of practical circular economy opportunities already present in different parts of the continent:
- On-site renewable energy generation and net metering
- Greywater reuse, energy-efficient design and bioenergy
- Material recovery and reuse during demolition and refurbishment
- Landscaping waste composting and innovative reuse (for example, tires transformed into speed bumps and repurposed into furniture)
- Early FM involvement in building design and procurement decisions
A recurring insight was that many of these practices already exist on a smaller scale in African countries. This provides a solid foundation for expansion and replication rather than the need to reinvent solutions from scratch.
Participants also saw cultural and traditional building practices as valuable assets in designing contextually relevant and resource-efficient solutions. Creating African marketplaces for circular innovation was viewed as a promising way to stimulate economic growth, job creation and knowledge exchange.
International Facility Management Association (IFMA) supports over 25,000 members in 140 countries. Since 1980, IFMA has worked to advance the FM profession through education, events, credentialing, research, networking and knowledge-sharing.