Nigeria Circular Economy Week

17/03/2026

17/03/2026

17/03/2026

13/03/2026

A key insight the has gathered from engagements within the circular economy ecosystem is that many organisations serving the sector, whether through products or services, often lack adequate capacity to break even in the consumer market. This insight informed the design of the SME Customer Acquisition Workshop during the to train circular businesses on how to gain traction in the consumer market.

Watch this question from a participant during the session on “The Role of Local Fabrication in Advancing Waste Recycling and Circular Economy Practice.” A recurring challenge persists: local fabricators of recycling machinery often lack the marketing expertise required to drive sales

She identified a market gap in how local fabricators market their machinery. According to her, Recyclers often struggle to identify and access reliable local fabrication markets in Nigeria, as the space is sometimes monopolised by a few individuals who cannot produce the full range of equipment recyclers need. This contrasts with international fabricators, who are often more proactive, reaching potential clients through structured outreach, including direct engagement and cold emails to prospective customers.

What do you think can be done to improve the visibility and market access of local fabricators in Nigeria’s recycling ecosystem?

12/03/2026

Some states in Nigeria, including Lagos, Oyo, and Abia, have begun placing bans on the use of styrofoam in food packaging, as well as other single-use plastics such as plastic bags, spoons, and similar items.

These state-level bans align with targets set in the National Policy on Plastic Waste Management, initiated by the Federal Ministry of Environment, which aims to phase out single-use “on-the-go” plastics, including plastic bags, cutlery, styrofoam, and straws by December 2028.

With two years left to achieve this target, we asked participants at the Nigeria Circular Economy Week whether they believe Nigeria can realistically phase out the use of single-use plastics and styrofoam by December 2028.
Watch the clip to hear what they had to say.

11/03/2026

On Day 3 of the Nigeria Circular Economy Week, fabricators, industry stakeholders, and experts across the recycling value chain gathered to dissect the topic: “The Role of Local Fabrication in Advancing Waste Recycling and Circular Economy Practice.”

We saved an insightful highlight from this discussion that focuses on the barriers preventing local fabricators from scaling their machinery to industrial-grade standards.
Listen to learn.

06/03/2026

In the last quarter of the year, the hosted a webinar titled “From Idea to MVP and Beyond: How to Access Finance for Product Development”. The session was conceived following engagements with businesses across Nigeria, where one theme consistently stood out: limited access to finance remains a top-tier challenge, particularly for circular economy enterprises.

It focused on how businesses can position themselves for funding. The webinar highlighted key investor considerations such as viability (does it work?), commercial ability (can it sell?), scalability (can it grow?), and impact (does it make a difference?).
However, knowing how to access finance without the availability of capital leaves the conversation incomplete. Capacity-building without capital is counterproductive.

At the Nigeria Circular Economy Week, the , , Perazim Impact Consulting, and supporting partners unveiled the Circular Economy Investment Fund (CEIF) - a $10 million Impact Investment Fund dedicated to backing entrepreneurs building scalable circular economy solutions across Nigeria.

The fund provides catalytic capital and technical support to circular businesses across sectors from waste recovery and clean energy to circular agriculture and sustainable manufacturing meeting entrepreneurs at every stage, from early formalisation to industrial scale.

With the fund now publicly available, the ecosystem has moved from theory to ex*****on in providing further access to finance for circular businesses. The conversation has shifted from learning how to access finance to actually having the capital to deploy.

If you are building a circular economy business in Nigeria and are looking for funding to grow, this fund was designed with you in mind.

Learn more about the Circular Economy Investment Fund and find out if you qualify here: https://sage-grey.com/ceif/

27/02/2026

One of the core objectives of Nigeria Circular Economy Week was to catalyse business linkages between foreign and Nigerian enterprises, and this was exemplified through the different phases of the Netherlands-Nigeria Innovation Exchange, a springboard for . From the circular economy scoping missions across six Nigerian states to business delegations to the Netherlands, the exchange created a pipeline for practical, investment-ready partnerships.

These efforts culminated at the recently concluded Nigeria Circular Economy Week, with the signing of a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between , , and the The MoU was signed by Siemen Brinksma, Co-founder of Clement Anifowose, Managing Director of ; and Mr. Nkemdirim Alex Okoroafor, a member of the Abia State Public-Private Partnership and Investment Promotion Agency (APPIPA).

The partnership focuses on deploying circular solar panel solutions in Abia State, including the production of made-in-Nigeria circular solar panels. This is particularly significant for Abia State, one of Nigeria’s prominent industrial hubs, where reliable, affordable, and clean energy can directly support manufacturing, SMEs, and industrial clusters.

By expanding access to circular solar energy, the partnership not only reduces dependence on fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel but also cuts the volume of imported solar panels and fossil fuel inputs. As more businesses and households transition to circular solar energy, carbon footprints are reduced, opening pathways for carbon credit participation and climate-aligned financing opportunities at the state and enterprise level.

This collaboration strengthens Nigeria’s clean energy ecosystem, advances SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and demonstrates how circular economy partnerships can translate policy dialogue into bankable, locally impactful solutions.

20/02/2026

Thank you to everyone who showed up, leaned in, and contributed to making Nigeria Circular Economy Week a truly impactful convening.

Over the past days, we witnessed ideas shared, finanancing efforts, MoU signed, partnerships formed and policies discourse, toward building a circular economy that works for Nigeria.

Those in attendance included government institutions, industry finance, academia, business owners, students, and innovators.

your presence and participation reaffirmed that circularity in Nigeria is no longer aspirational, it is actionable.

As the curtains close on this year’s Week, the work continues. The insights, collaborations, and commitments made here will shape the next phase of Nigeria’s circular economy journey.

Thank you for being part of the

19/02/2026

The kick off of the Nigeria Circular Economy Marketplace Experience

Businesses and customers meet to have a marketplace experience where circular products are purchased with tokens worth a sum and the business with the highest number of tokens is declared winner.

19/02/2026

Day 1 of Nigeria Circular Economy Week marked a defining moment for the circular economy ecosystem in Nigeria, with landmark commitments across partnerships, innovation, and finance.

One such milestone was the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed among Niels Van den Hoek, Co-founder of , Ambassador Obuesi Philips, Chief Executive Officer of , and the . This partnership reflects the kind of bilateral collaboration needed in Nigeria’s circular economy space, where foreign partners bring financial strength, expertise, and technical know-how, while local partners contribute critical resources such as waste, land, and manpower.

The partnership seeks to tap into Nigeria’s mixed waste value chain to create recyclables and alternative fuel opportunities. Despite notable progress in waste recycling, such as plastics, electronics, and textiles, these gains largely depend on separate waste collection systems. Meanwhile, mixed or unsorted waste, comprising kitchen waste, biodegradables, plastics, paper, metals, and more, remains a common sight across Nigeria. This challenge is driven by the lack of a waste separation culture, limited technology, and insufficient enabling systems in the country.

This is why the partnership among SweepSmart, SWEEP Foundation, and the Ogun state government is timely. Its deployment has the potential to significantly reduce the staggering volume of mixed waste in Nigeria’s landfills and streets.

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19/02/2026

Mr Linear Economy: Where should all Nigerians be today?
NCEW Team: Marketplace Experience!

We are expecting everyone at the Nigeria Circular Economy Week Marketplace Experience.
Come patronise a circular business!
Come witness what circularity looks like!
Come build business relationship with a circular business!
Come learn about a circular business!

We are waiting. Door opens at 5:30 PM
RSVP to attend (compulsory)

Register: bit.ly/MXPRSVP