AfDB — Africa Circular Economy Facility (ACEF) and AfriCircular Innovators
Enriched multilateral · Found: 2026-03-14 20:15
AfDB circular economy in Africa including Ghana. AfriCircular mini-grants for MSMEs. Municipal grants USD 1-5M. Co-funded by Finland, NDF, Coca-Cola Foundation.
Funding Details
- Funder
- African Development Bank Group
- Funding Goal
- Mainstream the circular economy as an inclusive and green growth strategy across Africa through grants, technical assistance, and blended finance to support national circular economy roadmaps, entrepreneurship/innovation (AfriCircular Innovators Programme), the African Circular Economy Alliance, and systemic transformation at policy, business, and advocacy levels.
- Funding Amount
- Grants and technical assistance; specific amounts not publicly disclosed per project. Overall trust fund amounts not specified on public page.
- Deadline
- Rolling basis; no specific open call deadline identified on the public page (Rolling)
- How to Apply
- Contact ACEF Task Manager at the African Development Bank. ACEF is a trust fund managed internally by the AfDB's Climate Change and Green Growth Department. Specific calls (e.g., AfriCircular Innovators Programme) are announced separately.
- Target Region
- Africa (all sub-regions)
- Contact
- Davinah Milenge (D.MILENGE-UWELLA@AFDB.ORG), ACEF Task Manager, Department of Climate Change & Green Growth, African Development Bank
- Last Checked
- 2026-04-21 07:57
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
The Africa Circular Economy Facility (ACEF) is a dedicated trust fund managed by the African Development Bank's Climate Change and Green Growth Department, established in 2022 with support from Finland, the Nordic Development Fund, and The Coca-Cola Foundation. It is described as the only trust fund dedicated to mainstreaming the circular economy as an inclusive and green growth strategy in Africa. ACEF's thematic scope centers on circular economy as a development strategy: reducing waste, extending resource lifespan, fostering local innovation, and building resilient African economies aligned with the AfDB's ten-year strategy (2024–2033). Priority areas include waste management, recycling infrastructure, natural resource preservation, and sustainable production models that respect planetary boundaries. Eligible activities fall under three pillars: (1) enabling environment for circularity — supporting national circular economy roadmap development; (2) circular business development — the AfriCircular Innovators Programme supports African entrepreneurs and innovators building circular businesses; (3) advocacy and knowledge sharing — the African Circular Economy Alliance. ACEF provides grants and technical assistance to implementing entities across Africa. Geographic scope is pan-African, covering all sub-regions (North, West, East, Central, Southern Africa). Past supported countries include Rwanda, Benin, Chad, and others. The facility operates within the AfDB's mandate for African development. Eligible applicants depend on the specific programme: national governments partner on circular economy roadmaps, while entrepreneurs and innovators engage through the AfriCircular Innovators Programme. ACEF operates as an internally managed trust fund, with access primarily through direct engagement with the AfDB and specific programme calls. Funding mechanisms include grants and technical assistance. Amounts are not publicly specified per project. The facility is funded through donor contributions and operates on a rolling basis, with specific calls launched for individual programmes.
Historical Context
ACEF was established in 2022 by the AfDB with the Government of Finland, the Nordic Development Fund, and (from late 2024) The Coca-Cola Foundation. It is the only trust fund dedicated to mainstreaming the circular economy in Africa. In 2025, ACEF supported Benin's national circular economy action plan launch and participated in UNEA-7. Annual review documents available (ACEF 2024 in Review).
Why it was added
grant-scan-2026-03-14-family-offices
Sources
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