Business Quest Team 
- Absa Kenya Foundation and GIZ Launch Country’s First and Largest Circular Economy Programme, targets over 6,000 New and Improved Jobs by 2028;
Absa Kenya Foundation, in partnership with the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the African Guarantee Fund (AGF), has launched Kenya’s first and largest CirculaRising Programme, targeting the creation of over 6,000 new and improved jobs in the next two to three years.
The transformative initiative aims to reach and empower more than 2,000 women- and youth-led MSMEs operating within Kenya’s circular economy, while recycling over 6,000 tonnes of waste and positively impacting more than 30,000 lives indirectly.
The programme’s overall objective is to promote and integrate circular solutions and gender-inclusive strategies within the circular economy, contributing to sustainable growth, environmental conservation, and inclusive economic development.
Speaking during the programme’s launch in Nairobi, Absa Bank Kenya Managing Director and CEO, Abdi Mohamed, acknowledged the role of partnership and noted that this initiative is a collaborative response to one of the most defining economic questions of our time, how economies can grow without exhausting the very resources that such growth depends on.
“For decades, global growth has largely followed a linear model where we take, make, use and discard. While this model has delivered progress, it has also generated enormous waste, placed immense pressure on natural systems, and widened inequality in how opportunity is distributed.
The next chapter of growth will belong to economies that create value differently. Economies where waste becomes input, efficiency becomes advantage, and sustainability becomes enterprise.
That is the opportunity the circular economy offers, and what underpins the launch of this initiative.”
The programme is co-funded by the German government and IKEA Foundation and will be implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and its partners through three tailored phases to address the diverse needs of MSMEs.
The CirculaRising Academy, fully funded by Absa Kenya Foundation will target over 2,000 microenterprises through training, coaching, market access, and financing support over 27 months.
On the other hand, the CirculaRising Accelerator component, implemented by GIZ will support 150 growth stage small enterprises across Nairobi, Central, Western, Nyanza, and Coastal regions through capacity building, market linkages, and access to finance.
Additionally, the CirculaRising Scale-Up component will target 25 to 30 medium- and large-sized enterprises that generate high volumes of waste and intend to scale their export operations.
These enterprises will receive tailored training and coaching to support the development and integration of circularity and gender-responsive practices, as well as certification in global sustainability standards.
“With CirculaRising, we combine the empowerment of women’s employment with the scaling of circular business models in Kenya.
Together with the Absa Kenya Foundation, we will support MSMEs in achieving economic, social and environmental impact, from increased employment and better incomes to improved recycling and waste management practices.
This cooperation combines financial and advisory expertise to promote women in green value chains and to drive the transformation of the Kenyan economy,” said GIZ’s Employment promotion for women for the green transformation in Africa (WE4D) programme Kenya team leader, Thomas Jaeschke.
While officiating the launch, Susan Mang’eni, Principal Secretary State Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development through her remarks read by Mohammed Doyo, the Secretary for MSMEs, underscored the importance of Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises in Kenya’s economic transformation and reaffirmed government’s support for such initiatives.
“MSMEs remain the backbone of Kenya’s economy.Initiatives such as CirculaRising are critical in unlocking their potential, enabling access to finance, and supporting their transition into sustainable and competitive enterprises.
As the government, we are committed to creating an enabling policy and regulatory environment, strengthening enterprise support frameworks, and working closely with partners such as Absa to scale programmes that drive inclusive growth, job creation, and long-term economic resilience,” said Hon. Mang’eni said.
Also in attendance was Dr. Selly Kimosop, Secretary Environment, on behalf of the Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno who highlighted the role of MSMEs in the circular economy in advancing climate action and economic development.
“The transition to a circular economy presents significant opportunities for Kenya, particularly for MSMEs.
Programmes like CirculaRising are essential in supporting green enterprise development, reducing waste, and driving climate action at scale in our country,” said Dr. Ngeno.
Speaking at the same event, the Africa Guarantee Fund (AGF) Group Director of Capacity Development, Patrick Lumumba, said:
“Despite owning 40% of all MSMEs and contributing up to 20% of the country’s GDP, women-led enterprises continue to face significant barriers, with an estimated 70% lacking access to adequate financing and only 7% having formal access to financial services.
Recognising the critical role women entrepreneurs play in driving Kenya’s economy, including in green value chains, the partnership between AGF, GIZ and Absa Kenya leverages the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative to bridge the financing gap that MSMEs and more so, women-led MSMEs face.
Through the SHE Academy Programme, Absa Kenya and GIZ reaffirm their commitment to empowering women-owned MSMEs as catalysts for change, fostering inclusive growth, and strengthening Kenya’s economic resilience.”
By 2028, the programme aims to mobilise over EUR 2 million in financing while delivering measurable environmental impact by redirecting 6000 tonnes of waste through reduction, reusing, repair and recycling
The Absa Kenya Foundation is anchored on four key pillars, Entrepreneurship, Education and Skills Development, Natural Resource Management, and Health and Humanitarian Relief, with CirculaRising directly advancing three of these pillars.
