Executive summary

Growing role of ICT in Africa

Information Communication Technology (ICT) has revolutionized modern living, international business, global governance, communication, entertainment, transport, education, and health care. This has been driven by unprecedented high volumes of production and usage of consumer electronic products, in particular, personal computers, mobile phones, and television sets. Access to ICT has been identified as an indicator of a country’s economic and social development. The difference in access to ICT between developed and developing countries is commonly referred to as the “digital divide”. Africa has been undergoing rapid ICT transformation in recent years, attempting to bridge this divide by importing second-hand or used computers, mobile phones, and TV sets from developed countries. The countries of the region, however, lack the infrastructure and resources for the environmentally sound management (ESM) of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) arising when such imports  reach their end-of-life.

What is in e-waste?

The uncontrolled large quantities of e-waste generated by this electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) are of particular concern as EEE contains hazardous substances (e.g. heavy metals such as mercury and lead, and endocrine disrupting substances such as brominated flame retardants). On the other hand, EEE also contains materials of strategic value such as indium and palladium; and precious metals such as gold, copper and silver: these can be recovered and recycled, thereby serving as a valuable source of secondary raw materials, reducing pressure on scarce natural resources, as well as minimizing the overall environmental footprint.

Trends of EEE imports, use, and e-waste generation in West Africa

National e-waste assessments prepared in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria investigated the situation with regard to e-waste looking into, inter alia, trends of EEE imports, use and e-waste generation. These trends are analyzed in the scope of more general economic and societal indicators, taking into account factors such as the Human Development Index, electrification rate, GDP per capita and the number of mobile phone subscribers and internet users.

The use of EEE is still low in Africa compared to other countries in the world, but it is growing at a staggering pace. In the last decade for instance, the penetration rate of personal computers has increased by a factor of 10, while the number of mobile phone subscribers has increased by a factor of 100. The penetration rate2 signifies that due to the intense trade of used EEE, people have better access to lower priced EEE. From this perspective, the import and trade of used EEE is in support of the UN Millennium Development Goals as a means to foster the use of ICT for sustainable development.

Aside from domestic consumption, the e-waste problem in West Africa is exacerbated by an ongoing stream of used EEE from industrialized countries. Although the majority of this imported equipment is destined for re-use after testing and repair, there are significant volumes that prove unsuitable for re-use and further add to local e-waste generation. Statistical data and field research suggest that West Africa serves as the major trading route of used testing and repair, there are significant volumes that prove unsuitable for re-use and further add to local e-waste EEE into the African continent, with Ghana and Nigeria as the main import hubs.

Despite difficulties in obtaining data on new and used EEE as statistical data does not distinguish between these two categories of products, the studies in Ghana, for example, revealed that in 2009 around 70% of all imports were used EEE. 30% of the used EEE imported was determined to be non-functioning (hence should have been defined as e-waste): half of this amount was repaired locally and sold to consumers and the other half was unrepairable.

It is unclear how much of the remaining imported used EEE functioned for a reasonable time after it was sold. This so called “near-end-of-life” equipment can be another major source of e-waste which was imported into West African countries as equipment but turned into waste in a relatively short time. However, it is assumed that in 2010 between 50 - 85% of e-waste was domestically generated out of the consumption of new or used EEE
of good quality with a reasonable life-span. For the five selected West African countries, this is between 650,000 and 1,000,000 tonnes of domestic e-waste generated per annum, which at a certain point needs to be managed.

Countries with high imports of used EEE, like Ghana and Nigeria, generate the highest volumes of e-waste. This is due to the direct import of non-functioning and non-repairable used EEE or e-waste and the lower life-span of (functioning) used EEE compared to new EEE. It should be mentioned that in absolute numbers, Nigeria dominates the region in the total amount of used and new EEE imports, total number of EEE in use and the subsequent total amount of e-waste generated. Collection rates vary among the countries and reach up to 95% in the case of Ghana. Almost all of the collected material reaches the informal recycling sector.

Impacts of recycling practices on human health, the environment and climate change

Informal activities in the e-waste recycling chain are present in all of the countries studied and include collection, manual dismantling, open burning to recover metals and open dumping of residual fractions. While in some countries these activities are performed by individuals with a low material throughput (Benin and Liberia), Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria reveal an organized informal sector with medium to high volumes of processed materials (e.g. steel, aluminum and copper).

Emissions from informal recycling activities are problematic in these countries and their impacts on human health and the environment are evident. The major environmental and human health impacts from recycling practices in West Africa result mainly from the processes of dismantling, material recovery and final disposal. During collection, refurbishment and repair of EEE, negative impacts are present, but are generally at a significantly lower level. The burning of cables is seen as one practice with the most direct severe impact on human health and the environment. Bearing in mind that cable burning from EEE disassembly most probably occurs in all West African countries, this is a major source of dioxin emissions.

A whole range of valuable metals like palladium, gold, silver, indium and germanium that are contained in EEE are lost if not recovered at an early stage of waste treatment. Current recycling practices mainly focus on the recovery of steel, aluminum and copper and are quite inefficient for other metals.

Primary production, i.e. mining, concentrating, smelting and refining, especially of precious and rare metals, is energy intensive and has a significant impact on climate change as a result of high carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. “Mining” our old computers to recover the metals contained therein – if performed in an environmentally sound manner – requires only a fraction of this energy input. Furthermore, the environmentally sound management of endof-life refrigerators, air conditioners and similar equipment is significant in mitigating the climate change impactsas the ozone depleting substances in these devices, such as chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochloroflyorocarbons,have a high global warming potential.

Socio-economic aspects of the e-waste sector in Ghana and Nigeria

Another important aspect of e-waste is found in its socio-economic dimension. In-depth socio-economic studieswere carried out in Nigeria and Ghana to investigate the operations and sustainability impacts of the refurbishingand e-waste recycling sectors. In addition, currently practiced recycling technologies were compared with bestavailable technologies and analyzed on the basis of their applicability in the West African context. As a result, “bestapplicable technologies”3 were proposed for implementation in Nigeria and Ghana. Here, particular emphasis was onsystems and technologies that yield multiple gains in the field of environmental protection, working conditions andemployment creation, as well as in general economic terms.

The research revealed that there are some specific similarities between the refurbishing and recycling sectorsin Nigeria and Ghana. In both countries, there is a well-organized repair and refurbishing sector that is focusedon used equipment either from imports or from domestic sources such as businesses and households. In bothAccra (Ghana) and Lagos (Nigeria), this refurbishing sector generates income for more than 30,000 people. Therefurbishing sector operates partly under formal conditions as many of the enterprises that serve this sector areregistered with the local authorities and pay taxes to local and regional administrations.

In contrast, collection and recycling of e-waste is almost exclusively carried out by non-registered individuals widelyreferred to as “scavengers”. In Nigeria and Ghana, informal collection and recycling is mostly carried out by migrantsfrom the rural areas in the north of the respective countries, where populations have few alternatives to small-scaleagriculture and where rainfall variability causes food shortages.

Research also focused on the conditions of workers in the e-waste sector. For example, in the informal collectionand recycling of e-waste, daily revenues vary greatly from between US$ 0.22 and US$ 9.50. This income has, inmost cases, to be shared with other family members and is only earned on economically active days and not duringperiods of sickness or other emergencies. Therefore, it is concluded that a significant segment of e-waste workersin Nigeria and Ghana live below the internationally defined poverty line of US$ 1.25 per day. In the refurbishingsector, salaries range between US$ 2.20 and US$ 22 per day. Here, the highest incomes are achieved by workshopowners, while employees typically earn less than US$ 4.00 per day.

The comparison of currently practiced recycling technologies with best available recycling technologies showedthat there is considerable potential for improvement in the field of ICT recycling. For example, in the countriesstudied, discarded equipment such as desktop PCs are mainly dismantled to recover steel, aluminum and copper. However, precious metals contained in printed wiring boards (PWBs) of such equipment are rarely collected andwhen they are, are sold below world market prices to traders that organize exports to Asian recycling facilities.

Hence there is an opportunity for West African countries to gather higher volumes of PWBs in order to be ableto participate in a fair international commodity trade. In the recycling of ICT equipment, adequate volumes and quality levels can be achieved by manual dismantling and without significant investment in processing machinery.Appropriate health and safety measures for those involved in recycling, as well as environmentally sound practices,should be ensured. Thus optimized ICT recycling could be a key area of sustainable e-waste management in Nigeriaand Ghana that has the potential to reduce environmental impacts, as well as generating jobs and sustainableincomes.

Flows of EEE and e-waste between Europe and West Africa

As part of the overview of the trade chain of used EEE between developed countries and West Africa, the studies alsoexamined flows of EEE (and in some cases e-waste) between selected European countries and West Africa.

When analyzing the pathways of used EEE in Europe from the formal to the informal sector, it was found that brokersand traders are key players in this regard. Generally, the EEE export market is quite diverse, ranging from small familybasednetworks to large and well-organized trading firms. Often, immigrants or temporary residents from Africancountries engage in creating small trading businesses serving the European – African trade routes. Traders of usedvehicles also play a role in this trade as used EEE and e-waste is often co-loaded with used cars and trucks destinedfor export to West Africa.

The ports of Amsterdam and Antwerp were used as examples of gateways for used EEE. In both ports, used EEEis often declared as “second-hand goods”, “private goods”, “for charities”, “for personal use”, “miscellaneous”and “effets personnels” (referring to EEE as second-hand goods, etc.). In order to disguise illegal exports, eventhe labeling of used EEE itself is sometimes manipulated (e.g. false codes for used refrigerators or removal ofgenerators of used refrigerators in order to classify them as “not-containing CFCs”) and customs declarationsare given to the competent authorities only on the day the ocean carrier is to leave the port. In Antwerp, thereare even agents specialized in the export of used EEE. Both the Dutch and Belgian port authorities emphasizethat personnel and financial limitations are severe obstacles to achieving better export control of the problematicshipments of used and end-of life EEE.

This study offers interesting findings on flows of used EEE and e-waste between Europe and West Africa. For example,Nigeria was found to be the most dominant importing country of EEE and vehicles (both new and used), followed byGhana, whereas the UK is the dominant exporting country for EEE, followed with a large gap by France and Germany.

Transboundary movements of used EEE and e-waste

Transboundary movements of e-waste are subject to the control mechanism under the Basel Convention onthe Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. E-waste is listed in AnnexVIII as A1180 (hazardous waste) and Annex IX as B1110 (non-hazardous waste) of the Convention. Accordingto its provisions, transboundary movements of hazardous wastes can only take place after the prior informedconsent procedure has been followed and all states involved have given their consent to the transboundarymovement. Shipments which do not meet these requirements are illegal and such traffic is criminalized under theConvention. In addition, the provisions of the Waste Shipment Regulation of the European Union label the exportof waste with hazardous characteristics from Europe to any non–OECD country as illegal.

In the case of transboundary movements of used EEE and e-waste, there are several challenges related to theenforcement of Basel provisions. This includes the challenges of clear distinction between used EEE and e-waste andbetween hazardous and non-hazardous waste, as well as the overall challenge of monitoring and enforcing the BaselConvention and the Waste Shipment Regulation.

Conclusions and recommendations

Knowledge generated through the numerous studies and activities of the E-waste Africa project is presented in theform of conclusions and recommendations primarily for stakeholders in the project partner countries, but also forstakeholders in other African countries and those who are concerned with the e-waste issue and are interested inseeking sustainable solutions.

One major challenge for West African countries is to prevent the import of e-waste and near-end-of-life equipmentwithout hampering the socio-economically valuable trade of used EEE of good quality. In addition, high volumes ofdomestically generated e-waste require well-functioning local take-back and recycling systems. Challenges includethe establishment of appropriate collection strategies, ensuring that high volumes of valuable and non-valuable wastefractions are collected equally and that those fractions reach appropriate treatment and disposal facilities. In addition,connecting informal collectors to a formal recycling structure is pivotal, along with appropriate capacity building and training.

Locally adapted recycling technologies for West Africa should make use of the abundant labor force instead ofdeploying expensive shredding and sorting machinery. To ensure a maximum yield of valuable recycling fractions,West African recyclers should be encouraged to interlink with international recycling companies and networks todevelop market outlets for their pre-processed e-waste fractions for a maximized return of value for secondaryraw materials. A sustainable e-waste management system would also need an adequate financing scheme, a levelplaying field and appropriate market incentives. It is thought that similar to policies in OECD countries, e-wasterecycling systems in Africa could be developed in line with the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility.

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English:

The growing e-waste volumes generated worldwide together with the lack or even absence of well-organized collection and management systems in Africa, where a disproportionate amount of this waste ends up, threatens Africa’s environment, its national economies and the health of local communities. In many African countries e-waste is routinely disposed on uncontrolled dumpsites, where waste volumes are periodically reduced by setting them on fire, causing a range of toxic substances to be released, heavily contaminating air, soil and water resources. Even unburned, in tropical climate, many e-waste fractions will soon release major pollutants, damaging human and environmental health. The serious consequences of this mounting environmental problem are now starting to attract the widespread public attention.

The Secretariat of the Basel Convention is pleased to announce the Pan-African Forum on E-waste to be held from 14 to 16 March 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya.

This two and a half day forum is being organized with the support of Hewlett-Packard and Dell. The forum aims to bring together relevant stakeholders from the governments of Africa, international organizations, academia and the private sector. The forum seeks to identify possible options for a sustainable solution to e-waste in Africa by developing a clear perspective on an environmentally sound e-waste management framework applicable in the African context. Forum participants will discuss the need for regulatory frameworks and ways of establishing or strengthening national, regional and international collaboration.

Join us in Nairobi and be part of a new initiative to address the e-waste problem facing Africa!

Agenda

E-waste Africa Project page

Pan-African Forum on E-Waste Underlines Green Economy Opportunities in E-Waste Sector

Nairobi, 16 March 2012 - Priority actions for reducing the environmental and health impacts of growing levels of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste), alongside promoting the sector's potential for green jobs and economic development, were today agreed by representatives from 18 African states, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and academia.

The actions were agreed on the final day of the Pan-African Forum on E-Waste, which was held at the Nairobi headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Organized by the Secretariat of the Basel Convention and UNEP, with support from the Government of Kenya, and private sector companies including Dell, HP, Nokia and Philips, the forum was the first event of its kind on the continent. It focused on long-term solutions to the rising levels of obsolete mobile phones, refrigerators, televisions and other e-products in Africa.

Increasing domestic consumption of electronic products, coupled with the ongoing import of waste electronics into Africa from other regions, means that the continent is set to generate a higher volume of e-waste than Europe by 2017.

The Pan-African Forum on E-Waste in Nairobi adopted a 'Call to Action', which outlines 8 priority areas to improve the environmentally-sound management of e-waste in Africa.

These include:

• Implementation and enforcement by African states of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal and the Bamako Convention, which bans the import of hazardous wastes into Africa
• Development of national systems to improve the collection, recycling, transport, storage and disposal of e-waste
• National institutions to co-operate with multiple stakeholders (UN, NGOs, private sector and others) in producing e-waste assessments
• Recognition that the safe and sustainable recycling of e-waste provides an opportunity for green jobs and poverty reduction
• Awareness raising activities on environmental and health hazards linked to the unsound management of e-waste

"Managing e-waste, and other kinds of waste, is essential for the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient Green Economy", said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

"Sustainable management of e-waste can combat poverty and generate green jobs through recycling, collection and processing of e-waste - and safeguard the environment and human health from the hazards posed by rising levels of waste electronics. With just over three months until the Rio+20 conference in Brazil, this event has underlined how smart public policies, creative financial incentives and technology transfer can turn e-waste from a challenge into an important resource for sustainable development," added Mr. Steiner.

He highlighted that global recycling rates of some e-waste metals-known as rare earth metals-can be as low as one per cent despite these metals being crucial for components in hybrid electric car batteries to the magnets in wind turbines.

"The future of the clean tech, high-tech products and the transition to a Green Economy may in part depend on boosting the recycling of e-waste in order to assure a steady and streamlined supply of these specialty metals for these 21st century industries," added Mr Steiner.

As well as serving as a valuable source of secondary raw materials, the recovery and recycling of e-waste can reduce pressure on scarce natural resources and contribute to emissions reductions.

"One tonne of obsolete mobile phones contains more gold than one tonne of ore and the picture is similar for other precious substances", said Katherina Kummer-Peiry, Executive Secretary of the Basel Convention.

"If you consider the value of these materials, then this represents an important economic opportunity. There are recyclers and other industrial sectors who are interested in taking advantage of such opportunities, which can in turn create green jobs and support sustainable development."

Delegates at the Pan-African E-waste Forum underlined the importance of improved access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Africa towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

But the disposal of obsolete electronic equipment can pose significant environmental and health risks. E-waste can contain hazardous substances, including heavy metals such as mercury and lead, and endocrine disrupting substances such as brominated flame retardants.

Much of the recycling of e-waste that takes place in Africa today occurs on an informal basis - often on uncontrolled dumpsites or landfills. Hazardous substances can be released during these dismantling and disposal operations. Open burning of cables, for example, is a major source of dioxin emissions; a persistent organic pollutant that travels over long-distances and can end up in food chain.

Attendees at the Pan-African E-Waste Forum underlined the fact that recycling and recovery activities need to move from the unregulated, informal sector, where health and environmental risks are high, to a more regulated system using international recycling standards.

"Africa's environmental challenges are growing by the day. This includes the exponential growth of electronic waste," said Ali D. Mohamed, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources of Kenya.

"It is now the time for Africa to take action on addressing health and environmental problems as a result of current recycling practices, while creating jobs and business opportunities and alleviating poverty. We want to achieve this through an enforceable legislative framework," added Mr. Mohamed.

As part of the 'Call to Action', manufacturers, importers, re-sellers and other handlers of electrical and electronic products should be required to organize the collection, recycling and recovery of e-waste. The forum agreed that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) should be a key component of the environmentally sound management of e-waste.

Notes to Editors:

For more information on the Pan-African Forum on E-Waste, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/77xrsnm

UNEP Metals Recycling Report: http://www.unep.org/resourcepanel/metals_recycling/

Basel Convention Report, Where are WEEE in Africa? Findings from the Basel Convention E-waste Africa Programme, available at: www.basel.int

UNEP Report From E-Waste to Resources: http://www.unep.org/PDF/PressReleases/E-Waste_publication_screen_FINALVERSION-sml.pdf

Financial support for the Pan-African Forum on E-Waste was provided by the European Commission, the Governments of Norway and Canada, HP, Dell, Microsoft, Sims Recycling Solutions, Safaricom and the National Environmental Management Authority of Kenya.

The event was held in collaboration with BCCC-Nigeria, EMPA, IMPEL, Nokia, OKO-Institut, Solving the E-Waste Problem (StEP) and United Nations University.

Media Contacts:

Nick Nuttall, UNEP Division of Communication and Public Information Acting Director and Spokesperson, Tel. +41 795 965 737 or +254 733 632 755, e-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org,

Bryan Coll, UNEP Newsdesk (Nairobi) on Tel. +254 207623088, Mobile: +254 731666214, Email: unepnewsdesk@unep.org

Michael Stanley-Jones, Public Information Officer, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, Tel. + 41-22-917-8668, Mobile + 41-79-730-4495, E-mail: msjones@pops.int

Photo: Kai Loeffelbein

UN Report Finds Imports of Waste Electronics from Europe Continue to Add to Problem

Geneva, 10 February 2012 – West Africa faces a rising tide of e-waste generated by domestic consumption of new and used electrical and electronic equipment, according to a new United Nations report.

Domestic consumption makes up the majority (up to 85 percent) of waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) produced in the region, according to the study, Where are WEEE in Africa?  

The e-waste problem in West Africa is further exacerbated by an ongoing stream of used equipment from industrialised countries, significant volumes of which prove unsuitable for re-use and contribute further to the amount of e-waste generated locally.

In the five countries studied in the UN report (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria), between 650,000 and 1,000,000 tonnes of domestic e-waste are generated each year, which need to be managed to protect human health and the environment in the region.

Where are WEEE in Africa? sheds light on current recycling practices and on socio-economic characteristics of the e-waste sector in West Africa. It also provides the quantitative data on the use, import and disposal of electronic and electrical equipment in the region.

The report draws on the findings of national e-waste assessments carried out in the five countries from 2009 to 2011.

"Effective management of the growing amount of e-waste generated in Africa and other parts of the world is an important part of the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient Green Economy”, said United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary General Achim Steiner.

“We can grow Africa’s economies, generate decent employment and safeguard the environment by supporting sustainable e-waste management and recovering the valuable metals and other resources locked inside products that end up as e-waste. In the run-up to Rio+20 in June, this report shows how measures such as improved collection strategies and establishing more formal recycling structures, can limit environmental damage and provide economic opportunities,” added Mr. Steiner.

Risks and Opportunities of E-Waste

The use of electrical and electronic equipment is still low in Africa compared to other regions of the world, but it is growing at a staggering pace. The penetration rate of personal computers in Africa, for example, has increased by a factor of 10 in the last decade, while the number of mobile phone subscribers has increased by a factor of 100.

Electrical and electronic equipment can contain hazardous substances (e.g. heavy metals such as mercury and lead, and endocrine disrupting substances such as brominated flame retardants). 

Hazardous substances are released during various dismantling and disposal operations and are particularly severe during the burning of cables to liberate copper and of plastics to reduce waste volumes. Open burning of cables is a major source of dioxin emissions, a persistent organic pollutant that travels over long-distances that bio-accumulates in organisms up through the global food chain.

Electrical and electronic equipment also contains materials of strategic value such as indium and palladium and precious metals such as gold, copper and silver. These can be recovered and recycled, thereby serving as a valuable source of secondary raw materials, reducing pressure on scarce natural resources, as well as minimizing the overall environmental footprint.

The report, which was prepared by the Secretariat of the Basel Convention and partners, also documents the economic and environmental potential of building a sound resource recovery and waste management system for e-waste, along with the risks of continuing on the present course.

“E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream world-wide and a key waste stream under the Basel Convention. Dealing with electronic and electrical equipment properly presents a serious environmental and health challenge for many countries, yet also offers a potentially significant opportunity to create green businesses and green jobs,” said Jim Willis, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

The report examined the flows of EEE and e-waste between Europe and West Africa. Among the major findings:

• In Ghana in 2009, investigators found that around 70% of all EEE imports were used EEE; 30% of second-hand imports were estimated to be non-functioning (therefore e-waste), producing about 40,000 tonnes of e-waste in 2010.
• Field investigations in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire have shown that about half of the imported used EEE is actually non-functional and non-repairable, thus defined as import of e-waste.
• An analysis of 176 containers of two categories of used electrical and electronic equipment imported into Nigeria, conducted from March to July 2010, revealed that more than 75% of all containers came from Europe, approximately 15% from Asia, 5% from African ports (mainly Morocco) and 5% from North America. A similar distribution could be observed in Ghana, where 85% of used EEE imports originated in Europe, 4% in Asia, 8% in North America, and 3% from other destinations.
• The UK is the dominant exporting country to Africa for both new and used EEE, followed with large gaps by France and Germany. Nigeria is the most dominant African importing country for new and used EEE, followed by Ghana.
• The amount of e-waste generated in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria from the consumption of new or used EEE of good quality with a reasonable life-span is comparable to the total amount of e-waste generated in Belgium or the Netherlands, and equates to approximately 5% of all e-waste generated in the European Union.

 Child Labour Concerns

The exposure to hazardous substances in and around dismantling sites causes manifold health and safety risks for collectors, recyclers and neighbouring communities. Children’s health in particular may be at risk.  Child labour is common in West Africa’s scrap metal business, the report’s investigators found. Collection and dismantling activities are carried out by children from the age of 12, however younger children from the age of five are sometimes engaged in light work, including dismantling of small parts and sorting of materials.

In contrast to the informal recycling sector, where collection and recycling of e-waste is almost exclusively carried out by individuals largely consisting of migrant labourers who are often stigmatized in African societies as ‘scavengers’, refurbishment is viewed as a  relatively attractive economic opportunity for an increasingly well-educated, semi-professional labour force. In Accra (Ghana) and Lagos (Nigeria), the refurbishing sector provides income to more than 30,000 people.

“Sustainable solutions for e-waste management in Africa require measures aimed at imports and exports control, collection and recycling, policy and legislation that incorporate extended producer responsibility, recognize the important role of the informal sector, promote awareness raising and education, as well as compliance monitoring and enforcement. Appropriate health and safety measures for those involved in recycling, as well as environmentally sound practices, should be ensured,”   said Prof. Oladele Osibanjo, Director of Basel Convention Regional Coordinating Center for Africa, a co-author of the report.

Copies of the report, Where are WEEE in Africa? Findings from the Basel Convention E-waste Africa Programme, can be downloaded from www.basel.int

Note to Editors

The report was prepared by the Secretariat of the Basel Convention in cooperation with the Basel Convention Regional Coordinating Centre for the African Region (BCCC-Nigeria) based in Nigeria and the Basel Convention Regional Centre for French-speaking countries in Africa (BCRC-Senegal) based in Senegal, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA), the Institute for Applied Ecology (the Öko-Institut), the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL) and the governments of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tunisia.

The Basel Convention E-waste Africa Programme aims at enhancing the environmental governance of e-wastes and creating favourable social and economic conditions for partnerships and small businesses in the recycling sector in Africa. The initial phase of the programme consists of the E-waste Africa project and complementary activities triggered by the project and implemented by partner organizations. 

The overarching goal of the E-waste Africa project is to enhance the capacity of West Africa and other African countries to tackle the growing problem of e-waste and thereby protect the health of citizens, particularly children, while providing economic opportunities. Specifically, the project aims to improve the level of information available on flows of EEE and e-waste imported into West African countries; assess the baseline situation in terms of amounts of EEE imports, EEE in use and e-waste in partner countries, as well as environmental impacts of the e-waste sector; study the social-economic aspects of the increasing volumes of used EEE and e-waste; and strengthen national capacities to monitor and control transboundary movements of e-waste and to prevent illegal traffic.

 Waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) is a priority waste stream addressed by the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions is administered by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The Convention entered into force in 1992.

 The Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention prohibits the export of hazardous waste from OECD to non-OECD countries. It was adopted in 1995, but has yet to enter into force. Parties reaffirmed their support for the amendment at their 10^th meeting in October 2011 by adopting a decision that is widely expected to speed the Ban Amendment’s ratification and entry into force.

The Cartagena Declaration on prevention and minimization of hazardous wastes, also adopted by the Parties at their 10^th meeting, reaffirms that the Basel Convention is the primary global legal instrument for guiding the environmentally sound management of hazardous and other wastes and their disposal, including efforts to prevent and minimize their generation, and efficiently and safely manage those that cannot be avoided. The hazardous waste challenge, it declares “is best addressed through the avoidance of the use of hazardous substances in products and processes as well as through production methods that avoid and prevent waste generation.” 

The Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of the Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Waste within Africa (Bamako Convention) was adopted in 1991 and entered into force in 1998. The Bamako Convention incorporates the prohibition of all imports of hazardous waste into those countries which are Parties, but unlike the Basel Convention does not exclude certain hazardous wastes (e.g. radioactive wastes). All 53 member States of the Organization of African Union (OAU) are parties to the Bamako Convention.

For more information, please contact:

Nick Nuttall, UNEP Division of Communication and Public Information Acting Director and Spokesperson, Tel. +41 795 965 737 or +254 733 632 755, e-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org,

Michael Stanley-Jones, Public Information Officer, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, + 41-22-917-8668; (m) + 41-79-730-4495, e-mail: SafePlanet@unep.org,

Tatiana Terekhova, Programme Officer, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, + 41-22-917-8340, e-mail: Tatiana.Terekhova@unep.org

Télécharger la version française du communiqué de presse.

Used and end-of-life electric and electronic products and waste (also referred to as ‘e-products’ and ‘e-waste‘), either generated locally or imported from developed countries, are accumulating in open dumpsites in a number of African countries. E-waste is often disposed of by open burning, placing entire communities at risk of exposure to releases of dangerous substances into the environment. E-waste contains toxic substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants. However, e-waste also provides a source of valuable income in these countries as some of these substances, as well as the valuable components comprising e-waste, are recycled and reused providing economic opportunities through the development of community based collection, recovery and recycling businesses.

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