An EU funded report by the Africa RISE and SWITCH to Green Facilities laid out steps towards a Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system in RWANDA. The report included an evaluation of the current frameworks and systems, and key elements that are needed to improve both the governance structure and the legal framework for PRO-EPR. The result may be used as a benchmark for other African countries. EU support via the Africa RISE and SWITCH to Green Facilities focussed in Rwanda on the development of the organisation and governance structure for a PRO, with learnings shared across countries and regions.
The learnings of the initiatives highlight that the challenge is to transition from limited, project-based activities to a robust, regulatory-backed Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) EPR system can manage the entire packaging waste stream. In order to achieve such a strong market position, some operational and structural changes are required. More details can be retrieved from the report.