17 NAIROBI CITY COUNTY OFFICIALS RECEIVE TRAINING ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Nairobi City County Environment Officers received critical training on the principles of circular economy, climate change and adaptation, aimed at empowering them to improve sustainable waste management and prevention as well as climate adaptation practices across the city.
Organised by the leading pan-African entrepreneur support organisation, GrowthAfrica in collaboration with EIT Climate-KIC, Europe’s leading climate innovation agency and community and funded by IKEA Foundation; this Circular Economy Innovation Clusters (CEIC) - Nairobi City County Training the Trainers initiative focused on providing the 17 officers with practical knowledge and tools for climate adaptation and waste reduction.
With Nairobi generating over 2,400 tonnes of waste daily, much of which goes unmanaged, the need for innovative solutions has never been more urgent. As the city’s primary policy implementers, Nairobi’s environmental officers are uniquely positioned to make a direct impact in reducing waste and promoting sustainable practices. Through the training, they are learning how to translate circular economy concepts into actionable solutions for the community, ensuring that waste management and prevention becomes more effective and resilient.
Representatives from Nairobi City County, GrowthAfrica, and EIT Climate-KIC emphasised the critical role that government partnerships play in advancing sustainable initiatives and cities.
“Nairobi City County Government is dedicated to advancing circularity in waste management and strengthening Assisted Compliance as we transition toward more sustainable practices. Our goal is to ensure that all activities align with the existing legal framework, while collaboratively addressing any gaps with our stakeholders.
This transition is a shared responsibility, and I urge all trained officers to serve as advocates for the circular economy in waste management. By creating greater awareness and embracing a holistic approach, especially with waste separation at the source, we can make significant strides toward a cleaner and more sustainable Nairobi.",” said Christine Kivuva, Assistant Director, Environmental Monitoring, Compliance and Enforcement Green Nairobi (Environment, Water, Food & Agriculture) Nairobi City County Government.
Patricia Jumi, Managing Director at GrowthAfrica, highlighted how this training aligns with the organisation’s mission to drive sustainable growth and systems thinking through collaboration: “This initiative is a core part of our commitment to creating impactful partnerships with all key stakeholders, government included in building a crop of practitioners that are thinking of circular economy, climate change and adaptation from a systems thinking perspective conscious of the relationship between all these key areas. We’re proud to work alongside Nairobi City County in building climate resilience. We hope that Nairobi will have a vibrant Circular Economy Innovation Cluster that will inspire other African cities.”
Emily Amann, Entrepreneurship Programmes Orchestrator, EIT Climate-KIC, stressed the need for a shift in mindset for long-term sustainability: “Our world is complex. Things are interconnected. Often, people seek short-term gains over long-term profits. We need change, and therefore we need to go deeper. For instance, we need to change our mental models and patterns of behaviour if we want to see lasting results.”
The training covered key areas in understanding and defining circularity principles and how to effect change through systems thinking. The officers were introduced to the principles of circularity, including the 10Rs, which are a set of strategies that guide how to design and manufacture products to keep materials and resources in use and reduce or eliminate waste. The 10Rs are Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle and Recover.
This knowledge-sharing is designed to have a ripple effect, as trained officers will pass on their expertise to other team members, amplifying the impact across the city.
Also, in the session was C40. C40 is a network of nearly 100 world-leading cities taking urgent action to confront the climate crisis. In their presentation, on C40 validation organic waste in markets exploring circular diversion opportunities, they emphasied how cities contribute to climate change but they also hold the solutions to mitigate these challenges.
3Es Experience, a charitable company in Kenya with the main aim of improving the livelihoods of communities while at the same time empowering students and promoting environmental conservation in parts of Kenya, were also in attendance. They facilitated the “Climate Fresk on Climate Change”, based on a puzzle game that would help the Nairobi City County officials develop practical scenarios and incorporate lessons learned into their daily operations within Nairobi.
GrowthAfrica is currently implementing the Circular Economy ClimAccelerator in Nairobi supported by EIT Climate-KIC and funded by IKEA Foundation. This is an ecosystem building programme, which includes an acceleration programme with 10 innovative local businesses that are working towards shifting the local ecosystem towards more circularity. The programme is also supporting 30 students and young professionals who are keen to develop innovative circular solutions to help reduce and eliminate waste in Nairobi County.
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Kasanga johnson
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Kasanga is an experienced journalist with over 8 years in the media industry. Specializing in amongst many things; writing compelling stories, Kasanga combines a strong foundation in communication with a deep understanding of digital media trends. he is dedicated to delivering impactful content that resonates with diverse audiences.
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