From Linear to Circular Africa - how I opened a new chapter for circular economy leadership on the continent

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation didn't traditionally work in Africa. When the MAVA Foundation proposed funding a leadership programme for African circular economy entrepreneurs - in partnership with the African Leadership University in Rwanda and Mauritius - it wasn't an obvious yes internally.

I pushed hard for us to take it on. Having grown up in South Africa, I could see immediately what this could become - not just a standalone programme, but the beginning of something much larger for circular economy thinking on the continent. I proposed building it around an existing EMF mechanism, From Linear to Circular, and engaged the programme manager who had led previous versions to help shape what an African iteration could look like.

What followed required navigating genuinely unfamiliar territory. Getting internal sign-off to work outside EMF's core geographic focus. Building a new team from existing resources with refocused work programmes. Working with African organisations whose entrepreneurial landscape and cultural context we knew very little about. Delivering the first phase of learning online during the latter stages of Covid - to participants in places where electricity and internet access were inconsistent - and quickly realising that WhatsApp was the platform of choice, which meant developing content specifically for that format.

We also had to pivot the in-person delivery from Rwanda to South Africa when Rwanda's Covid travel restrictions took longer to lift than expected - bringing in Inscape as a new partner to make that work.

The programme took a year to develop. In 2022, funded by a £2 million grant from MAVA, we delivered two four-day in-person sessions - one in South Africa, one in Rwanda. Over 40 African entrepreneurs were upskilled in circular economy principles, creating a cohort of circular economy leaders across multiple countries. The programme strengthened the circular economy offerings at both the African Leadership University and Inscape, and inspired other African universities to begin integrating circular economy thinking into their curricula.

Without the internal advocacy to accept the funding and make it work, this programme wouldn't have happened. The potential was there - and I'm proud I had the conviction to fight for it.