JIF

Circularity
Call

Circularity Call (JIF)

Connecting African circular businesses with European partners to develop commercially viable circular joint venture solutions

The JIF Circularity Call is a collaboration between Project SPARK and SWITCH-2-CE in East and Southern Africa, combining complementary approaches to strengthen circular businesses and Africa–Europe partnerships. The Call falls under the SWITCH-2-CE ESA Financing Facility, implemented by Expertise France and GIZ on behalf of the European Union. The Facility aims to improve access to and use of financing for circular economy businesses and business models in the region, providing catalytic financial instruments tailored to the needs of different private sector segments.

The Joint Innovation Facility (JIF) Circularity Call aims to address these challenges by connecting African circular businesses with European partners to develop commercially viable partnerships and joint ventures that will contribute to the transition to a circular economy by introducing or expanding circular business activities. We will create opportunities to develop, test and scale solutions with strong commercial potential.

Building on the JIF approach developed through SPARK, the initiative is expected to combine catalytic funding, technical expertise, business partnerships and market connections to create pathways for promising circular solutions and strengthened cooperation between African and European companies.

The JIF Circularity Call focusses on two priority value chains:

  • Plastic Packaging Plastic Waste
  • Electronics E-Waste

The call welcomes upstream, midstream and downstream solutions, with a particular interest in encouraging upstream and midstream approaches.

The JIF Circularity Call is being developed through collaboration between Project SPARK and SWITCH to Circular Economyin East and Southern Africa (SWITCH-2-CE in ESA), bringing together complementary approaches to strengthen circular businesses and Africa–EU partnerships.

Project SPARK is a regional initiative implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), that strengthens African innovation ecosystems and supports research-based, climate-smart and gender-responsive innovation, including improved access to finance, markets and strategic partnerships.

The SWITCH-2-CE in ESA programme aims to foster an inclusive transition to a circular economy in the ESA region. This initiative promotes green and circular business models to mitigate climate change, improve resource efficiency, and create economic opportunities, with a focus on the value chains of plastic and electronic waste. The programme is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in partnership with Expertise France.

Eligible countries for JIF Circularity Call:

Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa and Zambia. The consortium must include an EU-based for-profit company registered in one of the 27 EU Member States.

Apply by 31 January 2027

Why circularity?
Africa´s circular economy is creating new opportunities for businesses to reduce resource use, recover value from waste and develop more sustainable approaches to producing and consuming goods.
At the same time, European companies and organisations can bring complementary technologies, expertise, market knowledge and business networks that can support the growth of African circular businesses.
The JIF Circularity Call creates a framework for these capabilities to come together through Africa–Europe partnerships built around a clear commercial opportunity.
The JIF Circularity Call focuses on two priority value chains:
Plastic Packaging & Plastic Waste
Electronics & E-Waste
Eligible circular economy activities include:
  • Circular design and production
  • Circular use — including reuse, repair and other lifetime-extension approaches
  • Value recovery — including recycling and material recovery
  • Circularity-enablers — such as digital tools, applications, marketplaces and data solutions that facilitate circular business activities
The call welcomes upstream, midstream and downstream approaches, with particular interest in innovative upstream and midstream solutions – for example, solutions that prevent waste and reduce resource use through circular design and production, or keep products and materials in use for longer through reuse, repair, refurbishment or other circular business models.
Projects should demonstrate a clear contribution to circularity within the selected value chain and identify how their impact will be measured.
Proposed activities may cover different aspects of circularity, including:
  • Circular design and production
  • Approaches that improve product and process design, reduce resource use, increase the use of secondary materials or enable more circular production.
  • Circular use
  • Business models and approaches that extend product lifetimes through reuse, repair, refurbishment, sharing or other resource-efficient models.
  • Value recovery
  • Approaches that recover materials, components or other value from products and waste streams and bring them back into productive use.
  • Circularity enablers
  • Digital, technological, business, financial or other approaches that strengthen circular value chains and support their growth. 
We are inviting joint partnerships proposals from Africa-EU consortia that:
  • Aim to introduce circular business activities or further develop and scale existing circular business models in the priority value chains, with an established commercially viable business model, demonstrated revenue generation, potential for regional growth and replication, and a clear opportunity to benefit from an Africa–EU partnership built on a shared long-term commercial vision.
  • Require strategic funding for the introduction or scaling of circular business models, and demonstrate commitment to the project’s success, including contribution of own resources
  • Consist of two or three partners forming a consortium collaborating across Eastern and Southern Africa* and the EU** and are led by an African for-profit company with at least 3 years in operation.
  • Demonstrate a shared long-term commercial vision and clear added value from this Africa–EU business collaboration, with the ambition to establish sustainable business partnerships beyond the grant period.
  • Are led by committed and capable teams, with a track record and technical and operational capacity required to innovate or scale 
  • Prioritize gender responsiveness

*The African partner(s) must be from one of the following SWITCH-2-CE priority countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, and Zambia.

** The European partner(s) must be based in one of the 27 EU Member States.

 Download the Eligibility Criteria

 

A consortium should consist of:

a) Lead Partner:

African for-profit company – These are legal entities formed under state law to conduct business activities with the primary goal of generating profit.

b) 2nd Partner:

EU for-profit company- These can be more mature start-ups, innovative SMEs as well as larger companies.

c) 3rd Partner:

      • Applied research organisation – These entities often are universities, research centres, nonprofit institutes or government affiliated centres that conduct systematic, problem-oriented research aimed at addressing specific societal, industrial or technological challenges.
      • Non-profit organization – A nonprofit organization is an entity that is created and operated for charitable or socially beneficial purposes rather than making a profit.
      • Public sector entity – These include government ministries, public agencies, local authorities and other government-affiliated institutions responsible for developing and implementing public policies, programmes and services.
      • For-profit company from the EU or Africa – These are legal entities formed under state law to conduct business activities with the primary goal of generating profit.
 
€100,000–€200,000 Non-dilutive, milestone-based grant funding
Funding can support the integration or expansion of circular business activities in Sub-Saharan Africa and the EU.
Technical Assistance
Tailored support to strengthen business models, investment readiness and scaling potential.
Ecosystem Connections
Access to networks and opportunities across Africa and Europe, including:
  • Investors and funding partners
  • Innovation hubs and accelerators
  • Corporates and market actors
  • Research and innovation networks
Africa–EU Partnerships
Support to develop commercially viable partnerships and longer-term collaboration beyond the JIF funding period.
Applications to the Joint Innovation Facility Circularity Call are open from 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027 via the good grants platform. 

Applicants must submit their pre-screening application by 8 January 2027 at the latest to allow sufficient time for the assessment and, if successful, a minimum of two weeks to complete and submit the full grant proposal by 31 January 2027. The application process consists of the following steps:

 

Pre -Screening

  • Interested consortia are invited to submit a short project summary and respond to brief pre-screening questions. As part of the pre-screening, a high-level commercial viability assessment will be carried out to assess operational, financial, governance, and compliance capacity in line with the selection criteria.
  • Only applicants who successfully pass the pre-screening stage will be invited to submit a full grant proposal.
  • Pre-screening applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Grant Proposal Submission
 
  • Consortia whose project idea passes the technical assessment will be invited to submit a full grant proposal.
  • Proposal requirements will be aligned with the eligibility and selection criteria outlined in the call documentation to ensure consistency and transparency throughout the evaluation process.

We are here to support you. Reach out to our team at: jif.circularity@giz.de

You can also explore our [FAQs section] for more information.