Shaping Somalia’s Circular Future
DAY 1 · Wednesday – 4th November 2026
Set a shared national direction and unlock opportunities for circular businesses, green jobs, and resource recovery.
Mobilizing Investment & Action
DAY 2 · Thursday – 5th November 2026
Finance circular solutions through partnerships, investment and practical commitments.
Six Focus Areas
ENABLE
Circular policy, governance and institutions
BUILD
Circular SMEs, business development and innovation
CIRCULATE
Products, materials and secondary resources
REGENERATE
Food systems and circular Bio-economy.
TRANSFORM
Circular cities and built environment
INVEST AND SCALE
Circular markets, finance and investment
Executive Summary
The Somalia Circular Economy Forum (SCEF 2026) will take place in Mogadishu on 4–5 November 2026 under the theme “From Linear to Circular: Shaping Somalia’s Sustainable Future”. Conceived as a strategic national platform, the Forum will position the circular economy as a driver of sustainable growth, green jobs, business development and resilient cities and communities. It will bring together Somali government, private sector, donors, development partners, academia, and civil society organizations to identify practical circular solutions to define how circular principles can unlock value, reduce waste, increase productivity and support Somalia’s transition towards a more inclusive and resource-efficient economy.
The Forum will focus on the enabling conditions required for a circular economy to take root at scale, coherent policy direction, investable circular business models, skills for green jobs, stronger markets for circular goods and services, and partnerships that connect innovation with finance. SCEF 2026 will frame it as an economic development pathway that can help enterprises create value from resources, support municipalities to improve service delivery, and open new opportunities for youth, women and SMEs in emerging green sectors.
Across two days, the Forum will move from shared strategic vision to practical collaboration. Discussions will draw on international circular economy practice while remaining grounded in Somalia’s institutional, market and urban realities. The program will explore how circular policy, enterprise development, skills systems, innovation, investment and partnerships can work together to build a national pipeline of solutions that are commercially credible, socially inclusive and environmentally sound.
SCEF 2026 is designed to produce strategic alignment and follow-through. Expected results include a shared high-level direction for Somalia’s circular economy transition, a strengthened partnership base for green enterprise and job creation, a clearer investment narrative for circular business development, and a practical framework for translating Forum discussions into coordinated action after the event. Development partners, financiers and private-sector actors are invited to participate not only as contributors to dialogue, but as partners in building a world-class circular economy agenda for Somalia.
Background & Rationale
Much of Somalia’s economy still follows a linear pattern: materials and products are used once and discarded, and food is lost between the farm, the herd and the market. In Mogadishu and other urban centers the consequences are visible every day, open dumping and burning of waste, blocked drains, flooding and stagnant water, sewage overflows, contaminated streets and health-care waste handled without adequate separation. These conditions raise disease risks and pollute homes, markets and waterways. At the same time, crop and animal products lost along the supply chain reduce the food available to families and the income available to producers and traders.
A circular economy offers a practical response because it treats these losses as recoverable value. Keeping more food in the supply chain improves food availability; unavoidable organic by-products and suitable food waste can feed compost, biofertilizer, bioenergy and biogas enterprises. Product redesign, sorting at source, collection partnerships, recycling enterprises and green packaging alternatives can reduce plastic pollution. Repair, reuse and recovery businesses can generate income, and reliable collection, drain maintenance and safe sanitation are services that municipalities, households and businesses need. Each of these creates room for SMEs, green jobs, and business-to-business and business-to-government markets.
These opportunities depend on decisions that no single actor can take alone. Enterprises need reliable access to materials, buyers and finance. Financiers need evidence of market demand, viable business models and manageable risk. Municipalities need clear institutional roles and a sequenced investment plan. National policy must enable investment and enterprise growth and coordinate implementation across ministries. Initiatives already exist, but policy gaps remain and efforts are not yet joined up. A national forum puts these actors in the same room, around shared evidence and the experience of comparable countries such as Jordan and South Africa, and asks them to agree on priorities, responsibilities and next steps.
The SCEF 2026 programme is built to do exactly that. Each element has a defined job: presentations establish the evidence; panels test choices and assign responsibilities; Circular Economy Lab pitches put solutions in front of buyers, processors, mentors and investors; deal rooms record a specific next step for each proposal; and the closing session consolidates commitments into a 12-month follow-through. The sequence is deliberate – Day 1 sets direction on policy, enterprise and food systems, and Day 2 connects those priorities to city systems, markets and finance – so that decisions made on the first day become investable proposals on the second.
Build resilient cities through improved drainage, sewage, and waste management systems
Identify practical infrastructure investments and operational arrangements that reduce flooding, pollution, and public-health risks. Strengthen urban service delivery by improving drainage, sanitation, sewage management, and solid waste systems in ways that enhance city resilience and environmental sustainability.
Advance green jobs and circular enterprise development
Develop and grow circular businesses and start-ups. Support entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs to turn circular ideas into viable products and services. Strengthen business models, practical skills, access to equipment, buyer relationships and investment readiness, with a focus on enterprises that create green jobs and recover value from waste and underused resources.
Prevent food loss and create value from organic waste
Improve handling, storage, processing, and value addition across food value chains to reduce losses and waste. Promote safe and marketable uses of organic by-products, including compost, bio-fertiliser, animal feed inputs, and biogas, while supporting inclusive business models around organic resource recovery.
Mobilise financing for circular economy solutions
Connect promising circular enterprises and locally driven solutions with businesses, financial institutions, investors, and development partners. Improve investment readiness, expand market access, unlock blended and catalytic finance, and build partnerships that can move inclusive, climate-smart circular solutions from pilot initiatives to scalable implementation.
Shape a shared national vision and policy direction for the circular economy
Establish a common strategic understanding of the foundations required for national policy development, including a coherent circular economy framework and a practical coordination mechanism.
To advance Somalia’s circular economy transition by aligning policy, enterprise development, green jobs, investment and partnerships around a shared strategic agenda for sustainable and inclusive economic transformation.
Overall Objectives
The Proposition
SCEF connects policy, enterprise, skills, technology, finance and markets, so materials stay productive longer, waste is reduced and new value is created
Beyond awareness: a practical pathway from ideas to viable circular enterprises, businesses and investment.
National Forum
A two-day convening for policy dialogue, technical exchange, market connections and commitments.
Solutions Pipeline
Approximately 6–10 circular businesses showcased for incubation, pilots, partnerships and finance.
Year-Round Platform
Knowledge, enterprise visibility and commitment tracking continue across the 12-month cycle.
Circular Economy Lab
20 women and young innovators build circular-design, value-chain and enterprise skills.
Rapid Urbanisation
More materials are flowing through cities while collection, separation and recovery systems remain limited.
Rising Resource Pressure
Plastics, packaging, electronics, food loss and organic residues are increasing environmental and municipal pressure.
Lost Economic Value
Products and materials are discarded early instead of being repaired, reused, refurbished or returned to production.
Youth Enterprise Potential
A young, entrepreneurial population can build businesses around resource efficiency, recovery and local manufacturing.
Why circular economy and Why now?
Forum Format And Programme
Circular Solutions Exhibition
Opens at registration on Day 1, with a guided tour during the morning coffee break.
Knowledge Hub
A reference point for research, international practice, Forum materials and learning resources.
E-waste Contributions Desk
Bring unused laptops, computers and iPads. They will be repaired and given to students of the Circular Economy Lab.
Investor & Partnership Desk
Finance and donor engagement, B2B and B2G connections, and deal-room facilitation.
Media & Networking Lounge
Space for media engagement, exhibition visibility, stakeholder connections and informal networking.
Structured Follow-Up
Captures next steps, contacts and timelines for post-Forum action.
6 Track Connect Policy,
Enterprise,
Technology and Investment
Circular MSMEs and
Business Development
Strengthen business-development services, market linkages, financing pathways and enterprise-support systems that enable SMEs and entrepreneurs to establish and grow viable businesses in repair, reuse, refurbishment, recycling, resource efficiency and sustainable production. Goal: Accelerate circular enterprise development, SME growth, market expansion, decent green jobs and inclusive economic opportunities.
Circular policy, governance and coordination
Identify policy priorities, standards, institutional roles and incentives that enable circular businesses, innovation and investment. Goal: coherent leadership and an enabling market environment.
E-waste, recycling and
green packaging
Connect collection, sorting, recycling, repair, refurbishment, packaging alternatives, and secondary-material markets. Goal: turn discarded materials into productive economic resources.
circular food systems
and value chains
Unlock agriculture, livestock, fisheries, construction and urban resource streams for products, income, jobs and local production. Goal: stronger value chains and investment opportunities.
Circular skills Development
and Innovation
Equip young people, entrepreneurs and innovators with practical circular-economy skills, mentorship and appropriate technologies to transform ideas and prototypes into market-ready solutions through testing, collaboration and strategic partnerships. Goal: Develop skilled talent and scalable, locally driven circular solutions for Somalia.
Circular markets, finance
and investment
Connect circular entrepreneurs and SMEs with banks, investors, institutional buyers and development partners to strengthen investment readiness, unlock appropriate finance, expand procurement opportunities and accelerate sustainable business growth.. Goal: finance, customers and long-term scale.
A practical platform for continued action
The Forum generates a structured record of priorities, commitments and partnership opportunities that can inform post-Forum coordination, programme design, resource mobilization and future circular economy forums.
Expanded partnerships for implementation
Government institutions, municipalities, businesses, financiers, development partners, researchers and civil society identify areas of mutual interest and establish a stronger basis for coordinated follow-up after the Forum.
Strategic alignment for a national circular economy agenda.
Participants leave with a shared understanding of the circular economy as an economic transformation agenda for Somalia, including its relevance to productivity, competitiveness, service delivery, environmental protection and inclusive growth.
Clearer pathways for green
jobs and circular enterprise development
The Forum strengthens consensus on the skills, enterprise support systems, market linkages and business development services required to help entrepreneurs and SMEs enter and grow within circular value chains.
Stronger investment narrative for circular business models
Circular economy opportunities are articulated in a way that is credible to financiers, development partners and private-sector actors, helping to position circular solutions as investable propositions rather than isolated environmental activities.
The expected outcomes of SCEF 2026 are aligned with the Forum’s strategic
objectives and are intended to strengthen Somalia’s long-term circular
economy agenda beyond the two-day event.
Expected Out Comes
Knowledge & capacity
Build practical understanding of circular principles, resource efficiency and waste-to-value opportunities.
Policy & coordination
Strengthen leadership, dialogue and an enabling environment across government, municipalities and markets.
Enterprise and innovation
Equip SMEs, startups and innovators with green skills, mentorship and business-development support.
Connect Solutions, Markets & Finance
Connect circular businesses with buyers, investors, financial institutions and development partners.
Accelerate Somalia’s circular transition by connecting policy,
entrepreneurship, innovation, investment, skills and partnerships.
Expected Out Comes
Three practical entry points for the 2026 cycle
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Drivers Want More Than a Ride
Automotive diligence projects for private equity and corporate clients
Automotive consulting engagements
Our Client Results in Automotive
We empower automotive leaders to drive innovation, enhance efficiency, and achieve sustainable growth in a changing industry.
Themes of the Forum
PILLAR A
Foundations
THEME 01
Setting Somalia’s Circular Economy Direction
From shared experiences and international lessons – Building the knowledge, policies and roadmap to turn circular opportunities into national agenda.
PILLAR B
Enterprise
THEME 03
Building - Growing Circular Businesses
Connect skills, business models, buyers, finance and practical support for circular enterprises.
THEME 06
Circular Economy Lab Demo
Collection, Recycling and Markets for Recovered Materials
Use lab pitches to connect promising products and services to buyers, collectors, processors and support partners.
PILLAR C
Circular Systems for Resilient Cities and Healthy Communities
THEME 04
Preventing Food Loss and Creating Value from Organics
Keep more food in the supply chain and put unavoidable organics to productive use.
THEME 05
Preventing Pollution and Managing
Better drainage, sewage-systems,
reduce harmful pollution and strengthen safe health-care waste systems.
PILLAR D
Investment
THEME 08
Finance Circular Businesses and SMEs
Prepare SMEs and city-service proposals for suitable finance and follow-up through deal rooms.
