Soil cover systems are widely used for the containment of waste with the objective of limiting the ingress of precipitation and oxygen, and also providing a medium for vegetation growth. The positive aspect of soil covers is that they are a natural resource that supports vegetation used in land reclamation. In designing effective soil covers for the African region, it is important that the wide range of varying climatic conditions be taken into account in developing designs that are tailored to fit the local conditions. This paper argues the point that there are benefits for cover design in Africa to be based on a formalized design methodology, rather than based on generic designs