Catalysing Circular and Sustainable Economy in African Countries

Demographic and climate projections place resource management as a major concern for the African continent. Nevertheless, the capacity to meet this imminent challenge varies considerably across countries. The paper compares the circular and sustainable pathways of African countries and highlights the factors that facilitate or hinder the transition to a circular economy. The paper introduces two indices to assess the circularity of African economies: the static Circular Economy Sustainable Development Index and its dynamic counterpart, which measures the average annual growth of the indicators. It employs regression analysis to explore the factors influencing sustainable development trajectories. The findings delineate divergent sustainable trajectories within Africa, highlighting the pivotal role of the developmental level in catalysing the transition towards a circular economy. Resource rents emerge as a significant obstacle to this transformation. Additionally, enhancements in institutional quality and infrastructure exacerbate resource pressures, creating substantial barriers to the adoption of circular economy principles.