Electronic waste in Africa

Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) waste, or e-waste, is illegally brought into African states every year. A minimum of 250,000 metric tons of e-waste comes into the continent, and according to the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, the majority of it in West Africa enters from Europe. Developed countries commodify underdeveloped African states as dumping grounds for their e-waste, and due to poor regulations and a lack of enforcement institutions, illegal dumping is promoted. Currently, the largest e-waste dumping site in Africa is Agbogbloshie in Ghana. While states like Nigeria do not contain e-waste sites as concentrated as Agbogbloshie, they do have several small sites.

Two e-waste regulatory institutions exist in Africa: the Basel Convention and Bamako Convention. Because the former institution perceives e-waste as hazardous, it seeks to circumvent adverse public health outcomes that derive from trading EEE. Informal dumping sites burn hazardous materials, subsequently exposing individuals to toxic fumes, contaminating crop production, etc. In particular, Europe and the UK export e-waste into several African states often as donations or second-hand products. African states themselves produce between ~50 and 85% of their e-waste with the rest being imported from developed nations.

Economically, e-waste can carry high value materials which can lead to financial opportunity for some African states. E-waste materials sourced from Africa amounted to $3.2 billion US dollars in 2019, therefore making trading and repairing them economic pursuits for poorer individuals. As such, global trade of e-waste lends itself to a business-like system in certain African states like Ghana. Extracting raw materials like copper is frequently executed by untrained and informal workers that need protective gear and are near localities where children can be exposed. Several economic, health, and political implications derive from the trade of these materials.