African Indigenous Female Entrepreneurs (IFÉs): A Closed-Looped Social Circular Economy Waste Management Model

Abstract

Uncontrolled waste disposal sites remain prevalent in low- and lower-middle-income countries, with organic waste constituting between 50 and 80% of the total openly dumped waste volumes. Waste-to-wealth initiatives focused on biowaste enterprises through female entrepreneurs can advance the eradication of open dumps while creating economic opportunities. This study, therefore, proposes an organizational model that leverages Indigenous female institutions, circular economy concepts, and a closed-loop biowaste management technique that mitigates the open-dump challenge. The Indigenous female entrepreneur (IFÉ) business model leverages circular economy and social circular economy models in the application of a low-tech insect-based biowaste conversion that valorizes municipal solid waste into products that can be reintegrated into the environment and community. The model will be utilized in a Tanzanian pilot study using co-production strategies to derive a sustainable biowaste enterprise. Co-production sees users as authorities in their own circumstances and treats them as primus inter pares with experts, thus facilitating the integration of the relational element of Indigenous societies and motivating cultural appreciation. Conversely, co-production will necessitate revisions to the model in every location where it is applied. The model was successfully test-run in a high-income country, but future research, including the pilot study, will validate the model and highlight innovations.

Circular Business Model Value Dimension Canvas: Tool Redesign for Innovation and Validation through an Australian Case Study

“…This study aligned with the studies of Smitskikh, Titova, and Shumik [64] and Chineme, Assefa, Herremans, Wylant, and Shumo [71], who identified that circular economy-related strategy, waste reduction, reuse, and recycling, facilitate collaboration embedded in circular social enterprise. These are widely being applied by Company X, as seen in Section 5.…”

“…Smitskikh, Titova, and Shumik [64] found that waste reduction, reuse, and recycling, as well as the use of renewable energy sources and the design of products and services that are sustainable and environmentally friendly, were identified as some of the circular economy principles implemented by social enterprises. Similar evidence was found by Chineme et al [71], who mentioned that key circular economy-related strategies were included, such as waste as a resource, facilitating collaboration and cultural appreciation through co-production, incorporating the selforganization skills of a minority group, and using a simple waste management technique generating value from black soldier fly larvae for fish and animal feed production.…”

Hybrid Waste-to-Energy Solutions within a Circular Economy Framework Directed towards Sustainable Urban Waste Management in Ghana

“…This will potentially improve their working and economic conditions since current waste collection activities are carried out with few health and safety measures. Careful public policies must be also directed toward supporting female entrepreneurs within the circular economy, such as farmers adopting the use of compost from the plant or those within the recycling industries [93].…”

Review of participation of Indigenous peoples in plastics pollution governance

“…A similar scoping review found that "50.7% of all studies linking pollution and IPs [Indigenous peoples] have been conducted among only 15 different Indigenous groups" with nearly half in North America (Fernández-Llamazares et al, 2020, p. 325). Another potential reason for the skew is that in the Global south, especially in Asia and Africa, the term "Indigenous" is not common or is rejected outright at the community and/or state level (Chineme et al, 2022;Senekane et al, 2022).…”