Italy’s Rimini will host more than 100 high-level conferences on the green and circular economy at Ecomondo 2025 from 4–7 November, bringing together policymakers, scientists and businesses to shape Europe and Africa’s sustainability agenda amid rising pressure to accelerate climate action.
Organized by the Italian Exhibition Group, the annual expo has grown into Europe’s largest platform for dialogue on the ecological transition, covering seven thematic areas including soil restoration, waste recovery, water management, bioeconomy, and renewable energy. While the event’s center of gravity remains Europe, this year’s programme is carving out space for Africa, positioning the continent not only as a recipient of solutions but as a testing ground for innovation and a partner in the circular economy.
One of the most anticipated sessions will be the States General for Soil Health, a dialogue on the circular bioeconomy and opportunities for soil regeneration. According to the Re Soil Foundation and the European Commission, Europe is moving ahead with its new Soil Monitoring Law and a “Soil Deal for Europe.” For Africa, where the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 65 percent of productive land is degraded, the debate is not theoretical. Poor soil health directly undermines food security, forces migration, and fuels poverty. Linking Africa into Europe’s soil health agenda could therefore create openings for shared research, capacity building, and funding for regenerative practices.
Ecomondo will also dedicate significant space to water and the blue economy. The conference on “European and Mediterranean nature-based, digital and cyber-physical initiatives for water management,” organized with the European Commission and partners, will showcase technologies for conservation, treatment, and circular use of water resources. This conversation could not be more relevant for Africa. From Cape Town’s near “Day Zero” crisis to recurring cholera outbreaks linked to poor wastewater treatment in West Africa, water resilience is a defining sustainability challenge. Africa’s policymakers attending Rimini will be watching closely how digital and nature-based solutions are being deployed in Europe and the Mediterranean, and whether similar models can be adapted in African cities.
Another highlight is the forum on the circular and regenerative bioeconomy, with a session titled “What bioeconomy for the next generation? Education, innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities across the Mediterranean and Africa.” Here, the spotlight shifts to young people. Across Africa, the youth bulge is both a demographic risk and an economic opportunity. According to the African Development Bank, over 12 million young Africans enter the labor market every year, while only 3 million formal jobs are created. A vibrant bioeconomy, from biogas to biomaterials to sustainable agriculture, could create new industries and jobs. But, as the organizers note, access to skills, capital and decision-making remains limited for young people. Ecomondo’s focus on youth entrepreneurship across the Mediterranean and Africa is an attempt to position the bioeconomy as a lever for employment and social stability.
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The States General of the Green Economy, scheduled for 4–5 November, will be the political centerpiece of Ecomondo. Organized with the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and supported by the Sustainable Development Foundation, this forum will address decarbonization, resource efficiency and urban mobility within the framework of European regulations. For Africa, participation in such a political dialogue offers two potential benefits. First, it provides exposure to regulatory models that could inform the continent’s own climate frameworks. Second, it creates opportunities to lobby for financing mechanisms that recognize Africa’s specific context, from informal waste economies in Lagos or Nairobi to renewable energy transitions in South Africa and Morocco.
The conference’s inclusion of Earth observation and raw materials management is another entry point for African interests. Africa is rich in critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium and rare earths, which are indispensable for the global energy transition. Yet extraction often comes at the cost of deforestation, water pollution and community displacement. The Ecomondo session on “From sky to ground: Earth observation for sustainable critical raw materials management,” co-organized by the Polytechnic of Turin and other research bodies, could offer Africa tools to monitor mining impacts, improve governance, and negotiate better terms in global supply chains.
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Ecomondo’s Forum Africa Green Growth, a recurring feature, will return this year to focus on international cooperation between Africa and the Mediterranean. This strand of the programme signals a recognition that Africa is not peripheral to the circular economy debate but central to its future. The World Bank projects that by 2050, Africa will generate 244 million tones of waste annually, more than double current levels, driven by rapid urbanization. Without circular solutions, from recycling and composting to waste-to-energy, the climate, health and economic impacts could be devastating. By showcasing Africa-specific sessions, Ecomondo is acknowledging the continent’s dual role as both a frontline victim of ecological breakdown and a laboratory of innovation.
Still, the key question remains whether African stakeholders can move beyond visibility to actual deal-making. Conferences often risk being talking shops. The challenge is to translate high-level debates in Rimini into practical partnerships, technology transfer, and finance that flow southward. Africa’s negotiators, municipalities, and entrepreneurs must use Ecomondo not just to listen but to press for collaboration that addresses concrete needs, from soil restoration projects in the Sahel to circular water management in North African cities and youth-led bioeconomy start-ups across East Africa.
Ecomondo 2025 will not deliver Africa’s sustainability transition. But by embedding Africa into its programme, the expo signals an important shift: Europe’s ecological future cannot be divorced from Africa’s. For African actors willing to engage strategically, Rimini could serve as both a showcase and a springboard for partnerships that make the circular economy a lived reality across the continent.
