The promotion of recycling will be at the centre of exchanges during the first National Recycling Exhibition (SANAR), which will be held on 17 and 18 March 2023 in the city of Yaoundé in Cameroon. The event is organised by the Green Life Act association, with the participation of national and international partners.
For its first edition, the National Recycling Exhibition (SANAR) in Cameroon is being held under the theme “recycling: green job niche and local development opportunities”. The event, which opens on 17 March 2023 in Yaoundé, is organised by the Cameroonian association Green Life Act. The participants, made up of circular economy actors, students, local authorities, researchers, corporate citizens and public authorities committed to the preservation of the environment, will discuss strategies for promoting and popularising the practice of recycling.
It will also be a question of presenting to the general public the advantages and opportunities of this approach, as well as the different recycling sectors, developing value chains, mobilising recycling actors around an operational network of the circular economy, and advocating to public authorities for the support of recycling initiatives and the impetus of a green purchasing policy, particularly in Cameroon’s public markets.
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“Recycling remains a sector that is not very well developed in Cameroon due to a lack of support for local initiatives, and recycling-related jobs are perceived as sub-trades, as the workforce is not qualified,” laments Green Life Act. The association is working with national and international partners (ministries, civil society organisations, international organisations, embassies, media, universities, research centres, national and multinational companies) within the framework of Sanar 2023.
The event, which closes on 18 March 2023, will be based on training and coaching workshops on recycling techniques, eco-jogging sessions, games and challenges to teach participants to sort and recycle their waste correctly, as well as on the signing of partnerships. Awareness-raising stands will also be set up to present local initiatives.
In addition to reducing pollution, the adoption of the circular economy in Cameroon will also promote job creation and create local development opportunities in the process. This approach is already proving successful in Egypt, Ghana and South Africa.
Inès Magoum
