Solid waste pollution is a major challenge in the Seychelles, and this year the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will be funding a number of projects focusing on the circular economy of this waste. This is the aim of a call for applications open until 26 April 2024.
The call for projects launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is aimed at start-ups, organisations and companies based in Seychelles and developing innovative solid waste management solutions. The East African country generates an average of 80,000 tonnes of waste a year, most of which is sent to the Mahé landfill site in the north-east of the archipelago, which is due to reach full capacity by 2025.
Applicants with the most innovative projects will be awarded seed grants of between $15,000 and $20,000 per project, totalling $145,000. “In addition, a smaller grant of $5,000 will be awarded as seed funding for new initiatives/start-ups,” says the Seychelles Ministry of Finance, National Planning and Commerce, which is leading the implementation of Seychelles’ sustainable development strategy.
The winners of the call for applications will also receive technical support. Projects must be submitted by 26 April 2024 at the latest, in accordance with the four categories defined, namely the design of a product, its use, the recovery of waste from this product, and the education of the population in eco-actions, particularly in sectors with a high potential for circularity in Seychelles, such as agri-food, tourism, construction, fishing and consumer goods (clothing, furniture, etc.). In addition to reducing waste pollution, this approach will also help to reduce methane emissions in the Seychelles, whose warming effect is 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO2), according to UNEP.
This call for projects is part of a joint programme entitled “Contributing to the establishment of an enabling environment for the promotion of a sustainable green and blue economy in Mauritius and Seychelles”. Launched in July 2022, the initiative is being implemented by UNEP, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
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Candidates shortlisted following UNEP’s call for applications will be invited to take part in a two-day bootcamp on 7 and 8 May 2024. During this meeting, they will receive training on how to draw up detailed project action plans. The final winners will be selected after this stage.
For more information on the call for projects, click here.
Inès Magoum
