ANDE is pleased to announce the launch of its latest investment guides —produced in collaboration with KOIS Advisory–marking a significant step toward unlocking the potential of Kenya’s waste and circularity sector. These guides are in-depth reports on four high-impact sub-sectors—organic waste management, plastic waste management, wastewater management, and integrated waste management, complementing the Introductory Guide — which offers investors actionable insights to drive sustainable growth in this high-impact sector. These reports were developed as part of ANDE’s Access to Green Finance with grant support by the Ikea Foundation.

Why Invest in Kenya’s Waste and Circularity Sector?

Kenya’s waste management sector is more than a growing market—it’s a critical avenue for achieving sustainable development goals. With over 122 businesses mapped across ten sub-sectors, the introductory guide identifies four areas with particularly high investment potential:

•     Organic Waste Management: Better managing the 5.7m tons of organic waste generated in Kenya annually to reduce food waste, and increase recycling of organic waste into high value products such as energy, fertilizer and insect protein.
•     Plastic Waste Management: Building on regulatory advances to reduce plastic waste through reduced plastic use, increased recycling of plastic products and upcycling plastic for new purposes.
•     Wastewater Management: Improving Kenya’s growing but underdeveloped wastewater management sector to better contain, empty, transport, treat and reuse wastewater.
•     Integrated Waste Management: Strengthening solutions across the waste management value chain to prevent, reuse, recycle, recover or dispose of various types of waste.

These areas not only offer environmental and social benefits but also present robust opportunities for financial returns, particularly through innovative financing mechanisms.

Key Insights from the Guides

The investment guides detail the critical financing needs at various stages of business maturity, from early-stage capital for startups to growth-stage funding for scalable operations. They also highlight:

•     Barriers to Investment: Gaps in funding availability, perceived risks, and policy uncertainties.
•     Innovative Financing Mechanisms: From blended finance to climate finance, these approaches can de-risk investments and attract private capital.
•     Case Studies: Success stories like Mr. Green Africa and Sanergy showcase scalable models with measurable impacts.