African Pathways to the Three Zeros: Operationalizing Yunus Social Business Principles for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Globally, persistent poverty, food insecurity, climate vulnerability, environmental degradation, and widening inequality demonstrate the limitations of fragmented approaches to sustainable development. Although the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Muhammad Yunus’s Three Zeros—Zero Poverty, Zero Hunger, and Zero Carbon Emissions—provide complementary visions, a significant research gap remains concerning how these aspirations can be operationalized through locally embedded economic systems. This study addresses this gap by examining how Yunus Social Business principles can be integrated with circular economy practices, waste valorization, sustainable livelihoods, and climate-smart agriculture. A qualitative conceptual research design was employed, combining systematic analysis of recent literature, institutional evidence, and African case illustrations from Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Systems Theory, Social Business Theory, and Sustainable Development Theory were used to guide the interpretation and construction of the proposed framework. Findings indicate that waste valorization can function as a strategic development mechanism linking employment generation, food production, resource recovery, and carbon mitigation. Evidence from African cases demonstrates that social enterprises and informal workers can contribute substantially to circular transitions when supported by appropriate institutional arrangements, finance, markets, and participatory governance. The study further finds that composting and other organic-resource recovery practices can strengthen climate-resilient agriculture and food security. The principal contribution is the development of an integrated African waste–food–climate social business framework that translates the Three Zeros from global aspirations into operational pathways. The study therefore positions social business as a potential institutional mechanism for connecting circularity, inclusion, climate resilience, and sustainable development.