ACRI — Africa Circular Resource and Data Initiative

The problem

Africa's Circular Resource Recovery Networks are Largely Informal and Data is Inadequately Tracked.

Across Africa, informal recovery networks play a critical role in collecting, sorting and returning valuable materials often regarded as waste to the economy. Yet these activities remain largely fragmented, informal and poorly documented.

Without reliable, granular material-flow data, it becomes difficult to measure recovery, strengthen markets, plan infrastructure, design effective circular-economy programmes and recognize the contribution of the people doing the work.

ACRI is designed to make those flows visible to facilitate Africa's push for circularity and environmental sustainability.

Informal recovery work at a disposal site

Key figures

The Scale of Informal Waste Recovery

500,000+

NESREA publication

Nigerians earn their living from informal waste recovery

32 Million Tons

NESREA publication

of municipal solid waste generated yearly in Nigeria

Over 90%

NESREA publication

is disposed of on land, often through uncontrolled disposal and open burning

$50+ Million / Year

WRAN, 2023

of untracked material value currently lost from circulation

~2.98 Million Tonnes

Municipal inventory

CO₂e in emissions reported for Nigeria in 2022 from waste-sector mismanagement

The system gap

Recovery is happening. Data is inadequately generated.

Africa's informal recovery workers already play a critical role in diverting materials into recycling markets, but much of this activity operates outside structured information systems.

The System Today

01

Recover

Informal collectors gather recyclables under hard conditions.

02

Sell

Materials sold to micro-aggregators with basic cash handovers.

03

Move

Consolidated waste moves downstream without systematic receipts.

What Remains Missing

❓ Who recovered it?
❓ Where was it sourced?
❓ How much was gathered?
❓ What actual market value was unlocked?
❓ Where did it go downstream?
❓ What socio-environmental impact did it create?

Without this data:

Resources remain invisible. Markets remain fragmented. Planning remains reactive. Impact remains difficult to prove.

ACRI — our solution

ACRI turns recovery activity into valuable data.

One Integrated System

1

IDENTIFY

Mapping and onboarding recovery actors.

2

RECORD

Logging who, what, where and how much.

3

CONNECT

Linking Collectors → Aggregators → Processors.

4

TRACK

Material movement becomes transparent and visible.

5

MEASURE

Reporting economic, environmental and climate outcomes.

ACRI — our solution

Digital Infrastructure in Action

In the field

Every intake and dispatch is recorded in detail. Seamless mobile inputs for field agents.

Admin Dashboard

Cross-node material flow, collectors, agents, operators and offtakers in one comprehensive dashboard.

Operator View

Tracks material incoming and outgoing operations and collector payments, digitizing physical ledgers.

Public / Funder View

Evidence layers for stakeholders. Aggregated public dashboard showing audited, real-time impact.

Direct implications of ACRI

Benefits of the Data Infrastructure Across the Ecosystem

ACRI gives circular economy actors the data, visibility and connections to make better decisions and create measurable value.

1.

Recovery workers

Digital identity, transaction history, verified activity and improved livelihoods through stronger access to buyers and opportunities.

2.

Aggregators / Hubs

Real-time material tracking, transparent supplier logs, inventory metrics, and direct transaction records.

3.

Recyclers / Processors

Better visibility of material availability, locations, volumes, quality grade, and dynamic supplier connectivity.

4.

Businesses / Producers

Traceable recovery records, authentic compliance audits and actionable evidence for sustainability and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reporting.

5.

Households / Institutions

Direct integration to structured municipal recovery systems with real-time feedback on their aggregate ecological contributions.

6.

Communities

More organized waste recovery, significantly cleaner local surroundings and newly-unlocked economic activities.

Broadening Systemic Benefits

7.

Government

Verifiable empirical evidence to plan critical municipal infrastructure, target local developmental interventions, monitor systemic metrics and design state circular economy policies.

8.

Development partners

Continuous verified activity data for active monitoring, auditing, ecological impact measurement and standard donor reporting metrics.

9.

Investors / Funders

Granular visibility into volume forecasts, recovery actors, historical transaction scales and emerging circular-market asset opportunities.

10.

Climate / Environmental actors

Robust, audited data foundation for measuring net material diversion and developing globally credible environmental and climate-avoidance metrics.

Expected impact

How ACRI Standardizes Ecosystem Metrics

ACRI makes resource recovery more visible, efficient and measurable across various sectors.

₦

ECONOMY

Make recovery activity visible and strengthen circular markets.

🌿

ENVIRONMENT

Divert materials from uncontrolled disposal. Reduced pollution and flood risk.

☁

CLIMATE

Supports measurable emissions avoidance and resource efficiency outcomes.

👥

SOCIAL

Recognize and connect informal recovery workforce to structured value chains.

⚖

GOVERNANCE

Give institutions better data for planning, monitoring and evaluation.

The vision

Start local, build for Africa.

1. PILOT

Prove it works

Launch in selected institutions, communities and recovery networks within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Test the data infrastructure, workflows, and verification mechanisms in real operating conditions.

2. VALIDATE

Build the evidence

Measure material flows, active participation, aggregate recovery volumes, livelihoods and environmental outcomes. Refine the core model using empirical data and document structural guidelines.

3. SCALE

Replicate across Africa

Convert the validated model into a replicable software framework that can be easily deployed across cities, sectors and other African nations — connecting disjointed circular markets.

“Start local. Prove the model. Standardize what works. Scale across Africa.”

The chain already works.

Join us in proving it — with the people who built it.

Partner with CSDH