Egypt’s One Circle Project — launched in 2023 under the SWITCH2CE initiative — has announced the next phase of its circular ICT strategy, celebrating two years of measurable progress alongside UNIDO, the European Union, the Government of Finland, the Ministry of Industry, and technology partners including Orange Group, Nokia, and Cordon. The milestone event, held in Cairo under the theme “One Circle – Milestones of Change,” highlighted how the initiative has transformed circularity in the ICT sector from a theoretical concept into a functioning, scalable system.
Over the past two years, One Circle has delivered a holistic circular-economy model for electronic device lifecycle management — combining repair, refurbishment, formal e-waste processing, and skills development. The programme has established two major centers: a network equipment repair line with Nokia and DSV, and a smartphone refurbishment hub with Upgrade, E-Tadweer, and Orange Egypt. This infrastructure marks a significant shift toward localising high-value repair work within Egypt.
UNIDO’s Programme Manager Müge Dolun emphasised that One Circle demonstrates that the circular economy is “a practical system capable of creating economic value, advancing sustainability, and transforming the ICT sector into a driving force for development.”
Tangible results to date:
- 300+ network modules repaired locally, enabling collaboration with Telecom Egypt, Orange Egypt, and other operators.
- 1,300+ refurbished smartphones sold with certified warranties through Orange Egypt, showing strong demand for affordable, sustainable devices.
- 10.22 tons of e-waste collected and more than 2,000 phones processed through formal channels.
- 70,918 kg of CO₂ emissions avoided, demonstrating the environmental impact of extended device lifecycles.
- 60+ new jobs created, with extensive vocational training and local talent development.
- Partner network expanded from 15 to 44 organisations, covering technical, logistical, and regulatory value chains.
- School outreach programmes achieving 100% improvement in students’ understanding of e-waste issues, reaching 3,000 beneficiaries across communities.
Finland’s Ambassador Riika Eela underscored the importance of cross-border collaboration, noting that waste reduction and environmental sustainability “demand the pooling of expertise across borders.” The EU Delegation’s Lorenzo Vingut Harrington reaffirmed that the initiative is fully aligned with EU circular-economy principles.
Egypt’s Ministry of Industry highlighted that One Circle directly supports national strategies, including the 2025–2030 industrial plan and Vision 2030, which aim to increase industry’s GDP contribution, expand green industries, and grow industrial employment to 7 million jobs.
Roadmap to 2026:
The next phase will expand repair and refurbishment capacity, strengthen formal e-waste collection systems, and reinforce regulatory frameworks. New strategic partnerships — including collaboration with Raya Trade (Raya Holding) and The Greek Campus — will support broader scaling and ecosystem integration.
With these developments, Egypt is positioning itself as a model for circular ICT systems capable of being replicated across other countries and sectors.
