SWITCH-2-CE East and Southern Africa - Call for Projects

Expired – · Found: 2026-03-13 17:24

EU/BMZ co-financed programme (GIZ + Expertise France) providing EUR 6M in grants for circular economy in plastics/packaging and electronics/e-waste. Lot 1 Innovation (EUR 200K-500K) and Lot 2 Scaling (EUR 500K-2.5M) for Entrepreneurial Support Organisations. 100% cost coverage.

Source: https://innovationbridge.info/ibportal/content/switch-2-ce-esa-call-projects

Funding Details

Funder

European Union (co-financed) and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ); implemented by GIZ and Expertise France

Funding Goal

Enhance access to finance and technical assistance for businesses in plastic packaging and e-waste value chains across East and Southern Africa, supporting circular economy transition

Funding Amount

Lot 1 (Innovation): EUR 200,000 to EUR 500,000 per grant (EUR 1 million total pool); Lot 2 (Scaling): EUR 500,000 to EUR 2,500,000 per grant (EUR 5 million total pool) (200.000 € – 2.500.000 €)

Deadline

2026-03-16 (Fixed)

How to Apply

Applications submitted via the Innovation Bridge portal at innovationbridge.info. Two lots available: Lot 1 for innovation-stage businesses and Lot 2 for scaling-stage businesses. Applications include project concept, budget, and business documentation.

Target Region

East and Southern Africa — Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia

Contact

Expertise France: expertisefrance.fr/en/projects/switch-circular-economy-east-southern-africa. Innovation Bridge portal: innovationbridge.info. EU delegation contacts in target countries.

Last Checked

2026-03-15 13:24

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant must operate in plastic packaging or e-waste value chains
• Must operate in at least one eligible country: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, or Zambia

Project Scope

• Lot 1 (Innovation): early-stage, EUR 200K-500K; Lot 2 (Scaling): proven model, EUR 500K-2.5M
• Multi-country proposals strongly encouraged

Required Documents

• Application via Innovation Bridge portal (innovationbridge.info)

Constraints

• Deadline: 16 March 2026 — likely passed at time of review
• Gender equity (women-owned/led enterprises) is a cross-cutting evaluation criterion

Summary

SWITCH to Circular Economy in East and Southern Africa (SWITCH-2-CE in ESA) is a regional programme co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), jointly implemented by GIZ and Expertise France. The programme aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in the region by expanding access to finance and tailored technical assistance for businesses innovating in the plastic packaging and e-waste value chains. The Call for Projects offered two distinct funding lots. Lot 1, labelled Innovation, allocated EUR 1 million total with individual grants of EUR 200,000 to EUR 500,000, targeting early-stage businesses developing innovative solutions in plastic or e-waste management. Lot 2, labelled Scaling, allocated EUR 5 million total with grants of EUR 500,000 to EUR 2,500,000, targeting businesses with proven models seeking to scale operations across multiple countries in the region. Eligible countries span 13 nations: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda (East Africa) and Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia (Southern Africa). Multi-country proposals were strongly encouraged. The programme placed explicit emphasis on supporting women-owned and women-led enterprises, integrating gender equity as a cross-cutting criterion. Grants were accompanied by technical assistance from the programme team, making this a blended support model rather than purely financial. The call was managed through the Innovation Bridge portal platform, which serves as the application and reporting interface for both GIZ and Expertise France-managed development programmes. The submission deadline was 16 March 2026. A second call under the SWITCH-2-CE programme may be expected in subsequent years, as the programme is designed as a multi-year initiative. Contact for the programme is available through Expertise France and the EU delegations in the target countries.

Historical Context

SWITCH-2-CE in ESA is part of the broader SWITCH to Green family of EU-funded programmes. The call opened in early 2026 with deadline March 16 2026. This appears to be the first or second call under the programme, which is expected to run through 2027-2028.

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