DICE Africa: Senegal bets on digital innovation to fight plastic pollution 🇸🇳 ♻️

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The Digital Innovation for Circular Economy (DICE) Africa project was officially launched on March 30. This initiative aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a strong focus on those actively engaged in tackling plastic waste.

Digital technology steps in to fight plastic waste 💻

The budget allocated to the Digital Innovation for Circular Economy (DICE) Africa program stands at nearly 1 million Canadian dollars, equivalent to approximately 406,142,100 CFA francs.

Beyond Senegal, three other African countries are benefiting from the project, which will run over a period of 30 months: Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Boosting local innovation: a hackathon for Senegalese talent 🧑‍💻🚀

As part of DICE Africa, a hackathon was organized to spark creativity among Senegalese talents. The goal is to design digital solutions tailored to the needs of circular economy businesses.

Three major pillars structure the initiative. The innovations developed will serve as the foundation for a national digital platform designed to:
facilitate exchanges between circular economy stakeholders,
strengthen the competitiveness of local SMEs,
and accelerate their integration into the country’s sustainable development efforts.

Technology driving ecological, economic, and social transformation 🌱💡

Across Africa, nearly 90% of waste is still dumped in uncontrolled landfills or burned in the open, contributing to severe environmental pollution.

In Senegal, the situation is particularly alarming: the country generates more than 3 million tons of waste each year, a significant portion of which is plastic.

In this context, DICE Africa highlights the strategic role of digital technology as a driver of ecological, economic, and social transformation. The project demonstrates how digital innovation can help reduce waste, enhance material recovery, and strengthen the circular economy across the continent.

Do you think digital solutions like DICE Africa can truly transform plastic waste management in Africa, or is the challenge still too complex for technology alone?