Geo Pomona Waste Management (Pvt) Ltd Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman, Dr Dilesh Nguwaya, has called for stronger regional cooperation and investment in waste management infrastructure across Africa to unlock economic and environmental opportunities.
Speaking at the Africa Waste Is Wealth (ISWA Africa Regional Conference 2026) in Nairobi on Tuesday, Nguwaya said Africa's growing waste challenge should be viewed as a major development opportunity rather than merely a sanitation problem.
"It is an honour to join you at the Africa Waste Is Wealth Summit III and to speak not only from the experience of Geo Pomona and Zimbabwe, but in the company of many African institutions, municipalities, operators, investors, researchers and partners working to transform waste management across our continent," he said.
Dr Nguwaya commended the Government of Kenya, the ISWA Africa Regional Chapter, the TakaTaka Ni Mali Foundation and other partners for organizing a summit focused on practical solutions and investment in waste management.
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He noted that rapid urbanisation, population growth and climate pressures were increasing the volume of waste generated across Africa, creating an urgent need for modern and integrated waste management systems.
"Waste is no longer only a sanitation issue; it is an economic, environmental, energy and industrial development issue," Dr Nguwaya said.
He stressed that fragmented approaches would not be sufficient to address the continent's waste challenges and called for investment-ready, climate-resilient systems supported by clear policies, stronger municipal capacity and long-term infrastructure planning.
"The opportunity before us is to build a true African circular economy ecosystem in which governments, cities, operators, financiers, manufacturers and development partners work from a shared framework for delivery and scale," he said.
Dr Nguwaya highlighted opportunities in collection, recycling, composting, landfill gas management, methane mitigation and waste to energy projects as practical pathways for sustainable development and economic growth across Africa.
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