By Amb. Canon Otto — Convener, Global Sustainability Summit & Founder, Cleancyclers
Africa is standing at a defining moment. Across the continent, clean energy is expanding faster than ever before — solar installations on rooftops, mini-grids powering remote communities, and renewable technologies becoming more accessible through innovation and local manufacturing.
But as the Convener of the Global Sustainability Summit, and through my work with Cleancyclers, I have observed a pattern that cannot be ignored:
Our clean energy transition is incomplete if we are not planning for the waste it will generate.
Solar panels, batteries, inverters, and other renewable components will eventually reach their end of life. If we do not prepare our waste management systems — and if we do not embrace circularity early — Africa risks replacing fossil pollution with a new wave of renewable waste.
This is why the mission of Cleancyclers is critical now more than ever.
The Missing Link in Africa’s Clean Energy Growth: Circularity
Clean energy is only sustainable when its entire lifecycle is accounted for.
Every panel installed today is a responsibility for tomorrow.
At Cleancyclers, we believe Africa must rise above reactive thinking. Before the flood of end-of-life solar waste arrives, we must build:
- A recycling infrastructure capable of processing renewable waste
- A circular economy system that recovers value from materials
- A community mindset that sees waste as opportunity
- A policy framework that supports responsible disposal and reuse
This is the vision I have emphasized repeatedly through SustainabilityUnscripted, where storytelling and community education bridge the gap between global climate strategy and everyday action.
And it is this philosophy I bring into every conversation at the Global Sustainability Summit:
Sustainability is not linear — it is circular. Always.
Cleancyclers: Leading the Charge for Africa’s First Clean Energy Circular Economy
While the world looks forward to renewables, Cleancyclers looks forward and backward — ensuring that the technologies we deploy today don’t become tomorrow’s environmental burden.
Our vision goes beyond recycling. It includes:
1. Establishing Africa’s Premier Solar Waste Recycling Hub
A facility capable of recovering glass, silicon, aluminum, copper, and other materials from solar components — ensuring nothing becomes harmful landfill waste.
2. Building a Circular Marketplace for Reuse and Repurposing
Not every solar panel is dead — some still have value.
We envision testing, refurbishing, and reselling functional components to communities who need affordable energy access.
3. Creating Community-Level Waste Sorting Ecosystems
Circularity begins in homes.
Every household must know how to sort and return e-waste responsibly — something we champion in all Cleancyclers community programs.
4. Educating Africa through Sustainability Unscripted
Our partnership with SustainabilityUnscripted ensures that circular economy education is not restricted to experts — but reaches families, youth, schools, and the wider public.
5. Championing Policy Advocacy with Canon Otto’s Voice
I continue to advocate for national frameworks that mandate:
- Solar waste take-back systems
- Extended producer responsibility (EPR)
- Incentives for recycling investments
- Training for solar technicians on circular practices
Africa must not become the world’s next dumping site for renewable waste — we must lead our own circular transition.
Why This Matters: The Canon Otto Perspective
As someone who has spent years championing sustainability across Africa, I have seen that:
A clean energy future without circularity is simply a delayed environmental crisis.
When we speak of climate action, we must also speak of waste.
When we speak of renewable expansion, we must also speak of lifecycle management.
When we speak of development, we must also speak of responsibility.
This is why the message of Cleancyclers is urgent:
Let us build renewable energy systems that last — not systems that leave waste behind.
A Call to Africa: Build Forward, but Build Wisely
The world is watching Africa’s clean energy rise. But we must not repeat the mistakes of developed nations. We must not wait for waste problems to overwhelm us before taking action.
Through Cleancyclers, through SustainabilityUnscripted, and through platforms like the Global Sustainability Summit, I remain committed to ensuring Africa’s sustainability transition is complete, circular, and responsible.
Let us build a continent where every solar panel is accounted for, every battery is recycled, and every community understands the value of circular thinking.
Let us build a future where Africa is not just adopting clean energy —
but sustaining it.
