Lusaka, 22 May 2025 — Zambia took a bold step toward a greener, more resilient future as over 150 participants gathered at Alliance Française in Lusaka for the Circular Zambia Forum 2025. The one-day event brought together business leaders, policymakers, development partners, academics and innovators to showcase and shape Zambia’s shift to a more circular economy.

With the theme "Unlocking Circular Business Opportunities in Zambia: Mining, Manufacturing & Energy," the Forum inspired participants to rethink how we design, use, and recover materials and products in both our personal and professional lives. The Forum also clearly showed that going circular is profitable and opens up new business opportunities.

Participants were energised by global success stories from the World Circular Economy Forum in Brazil, and motivated by the innovations happening right here in Zambia:

• FQM is decarbonising their operation by implementing electric trolley assist haulage and developing renewable energy sources.
• Surya Biofuels manufactures ethanol from waste molasses and produces liquid organic fertilisers as a by-product.
• Yaaka Investment is recovering precious metals from electronic waste
• Sunny Money is recovering and repairing their solar lights
• Local ethanol production was also highlighted as a viable alternative to decarbonise vehicles as seen in Brazil, where ethanol is 70% the price of petrol.

The discussions highlighted the importance of policy support, cross-sector collaboration, and blended finance in enabling circular business models to scale. Programs like the Zanaco Green Fund and the EU-funded GREENTech4CE project were cited as promising tools. GREENTech4CE, for example, covers up to 50% of the cost of a circular economy investment through grants, helping to reduce overall project risk and make financing more accessible.

A call to action

The Forum closed with a clear message: the time for action is now. Circularity is not only an environmental imperative — it is a smart economic strategy for Zambia.

The Zambian Circular Economy Network (ZamCEN) reaffirmed its commitment to supporting this transition through education and awareness, networking platforms, policy dialogue, business development, research, and industrial symbiosis initiatives.

For inquiries, or to join the network contact:

ZamCEN

Website: www.circularzambia.org
Contact: circularzambia@gmail.com