THE Zimbabwe Building Contractors Association (ZBCA), in partnership with the European Union’s Africa Reform for Investment and Sustainable Economies (RISE, held a meeting in Harare recently to help the construction sector explore more resilient and greener business practices.
Over 50 members of the Association and the ZBCA executive board participated in the meeting hosted by ZBCA to understand more about this initiative, what it entails and set the path for the upcoming circular economy workshops.
A circular economy is an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally-friendly way.
“The Zimbabwe Building Contractors Association is excited to be hosting this event inpartnership with the EU-funded project Africa RISE,” ZBCA chief executive officer, Crispen Tsvarai said. “ZBCA remains committed to help Zimbabwe attain its transition to the circular economy more successfully.”
The project was initiated in 2022 when Namibian Construction Industries Federation (CIF) approached the Africa RISE Facility to enquire how such a learning experience on circular economy could be supported by the Facility. Similar interest was expressed by ZBCA and Business Botswana.
The objective of this project is to increase knowledge in the construction sector on circular economy opportunities and models that could be implemented by the private sector. The initial focus will be for Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe with sharing and wider dissemination planned across Southern African Development Community (Sadc) member countries through the Sadc Secretariat and the Sadc Business Council.
“Zimbabwe needs to take practical steps to build a circular economy in line with the African Union Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals and the commitments to reduce carbon emissions expressed in the Paris climate change agreement,” local stakeholder engagement expert for Zimbabwe, Peter Makwanya said.
Zimbabwe’s business sector is keen to chart a path towards an inclusive and circular economy to promote waste reduction and as a co-benefit to decrease the country’s carbon footprint. A transition to a green economy is an opportunity to promote social inclusion, poverty eradication and sustained economic and employment growth, while simultaneously maintaining a healthy environment.
In Zimbabwe, there has been an emergence of economic activities centred around repairing, refurbishing and recycling end-of-life products as well as expanding access to renewable energy, helping to put the country firmly on the road to an expanded circular system. The country, just like many others in Africa, is determined to create national circular economy road maps.
Zimbabwe now requires collaboration and a range of enabling systems and structures such as policies, business support, financial incentives, new technologies and infrastructure to promote a circular economy which aims to eliminate waste, advocate for continual use of resources and recycling.