Small green enterprise in East Africa - powering a circular economy transition
Our Accelerator Session at the World Circular Economy Forum 2022 - Dec 8th, 15:00 Central Africa Time
What: "Catalysing policy change for Circular Economic Transition through local enterprises in East Africa – a WCEF2022 Accelerator Session"
When: December 8th, 15:00 - 16:00 Central Africa Time (GMT+2)
How: Expert panel & discussion session exploring the potential of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to accelerate local, national and regional transition to green, circular economies.
Who: GEC in partnership with Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) – Uganda; Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR) – Rwanda; The Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) – Kenya; and REPOA (socioeconomic research and knowledge for policy influence) – Tanzania
Where: Online, and in the EU Pavilion at WCEF2022
Green Economy Coalition (GEC) members and hubs will present evidence of how Local Green Enterprises are adapting and evolving towards circular and green production of goods and services in response to changing climate, unsustainable resource use, pollution and ecosystem decline.
Using a panel of experts and practitioners, we will examine case examples where MSMEs enabled practical local solutions to spread, and how this enabled better policies (to accelerate national and regional Green and Circular Economy transition), poverty reduction, good governance and social equality. These showcase MSME action with respect to alternative energy, waste recycling, and ecosystem services, and highlights critical barriers that stop local green enterprises from being able to do more.
The session will highlight learnings from East Africa, offer recommendations for unlocking citizen led change, and introduce the Green Economy Tracker as an evolving tool that incorporating Circular Economic indicators to assist transition dialogues for policy makers, businesses, and citizens. The session will discuss how citizen-led approaches are a necessary complement to policy initiatives, such as those promoted through EU support to policy dialogue and policy formulation under programmes like SWITCH Africa Green, SwitchMed, and UN PAGE.
Panellists:
- Stuart Worsley, Country Programmes Director, Green Economy Coalition (GEC) Secretariat
- Dr Arthur Bainomugisha, Executive Director, Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), Uganda
- Ms. Eugenia Kayitesi, Executive Director, Institute of Policy Analysis and Research IPAR, Rwanda
- Dr. Jane Mpapalika, Senior Researcher, REPOA Ltd, Tanzania
- Joshua Laichena, Senior Policy Analyst and HoD, Productive Sector, Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA)
- Asad Naqvi, Head of Secretariat, UN Partnership for Action on Green Economy (UNPAGE)
The event will be available in person and on-line through a hybrid format and will engage participants in a curated discussion around policy recommendations that aim to reduce policy barriers that confront local circular economic enterprises, and to invite engagement within a community of practice.
“ Local Green Enterprises are adapting and evolving towards circular and green production of goods and services in response to changing climate, unsustainable resource use, pollution and ecosystem decline.”
The session will be run by the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) through its hubs in East Africa, represented by
The session will be coordinated with EU Switch to Green Facility, to align with and complement Switch to Green work in Africa and globally. Consultations are being carried out with EU supported SWITCH programmes in Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean region, and other EU supported initiatives including UN PAGE and GGKP who also have submitted applications for the organisation of accelerator sessions, with a view to connecting these sessions under a coherent narrative. The work presented in this session has been funded by EC to promote citizen and small enterprise green economic transition action. |
