ACEN — African Circular Economy Network
Enriched multilateral · Found: 2026-03-14 20:23
Premier African circular economy network. 1100+ members across 42 African countries including Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania. 10-year anniversary 2026. Connected to African Development Bank circular economy financing.
Source: https://acen.africa/
Funding Details
- Funder
- Not primarily a funder — network and knowledge platform. Occasional project funding (e.g. IKEA Foundation catalytic grants to members)
- Funding Goal
- Pan-African circular economy knowledge sharing, networking, and access to green finance
- Funding Amount
- No standard grant call. Occasional member project funding (amounts vary by project)
- Deadline
- Rolling membership — apply anytime at acen.africa/join-acen/ (Rolling)
- How to Apply
- Apply at acen.africa/join-acen/. Select organisational member category. Identify relevant national chapter contacts in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania.
- Target Region
- 42 African countries including Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania
- Contact
- acen.africa/contact/
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-14 20:27
Application Checklist
Constraints
Summary
The African Circular Economy Network has grown in 10 years from a small South African initiative to a 1,100-member network across 42 African countries, making it the premier circular economy knowledge and networking hub for the continent. For your Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania operations, ACEN membership provides immediate access to national networks, local partner contacts, and intelligence on African circular economy funding flows. ACEN is strategically aligned with the African Circular Economy Alliance (a joint initiative of ACEN and the African Development Bank), which channels green finance to circular economy projects across Africa. While ACEN itself rarely issues project grants, it acts as a facilitator for members to access this financing, particularly from multilateral development banks, IKEA Foundation, and corporate circular economy programmes. For your organisation, the most immediate value is finding local NGO partners in Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania who could serve as consortium members in your applications to Norad future sub-rounds, SWITCH-2-CE future calls, and GEF SGP national rounds. ACEN's member directory and matchmaking functions can significantly reduce the time and cost of identifying quality local partners.
Historical Context
ACEN was founded in 2016 in South Africa and became a registered NPO. It has had strategic global partnerships with WRAP, TNO, and others. In 2024, IKEA Foundation funded an ACEN-facilitated circular food systems project in Rwanda — evidence of ACEN's capacity to catalyse project funding for members. The 10-year anniversary in 2026 is expected to bring new visibility and potentially new funding partnerships.
Why it was added
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