Waste electronic and electrical equipment (e-waste) includes discarded items like refrigerators, cell phones, and printed circuit boards. Unfortunately, many of these items are beyond repair and end up discarded in local landfills alongside other solid waste.
Often shipped from developed to developing countries, e-waste is dismantled in informal settings to extract valuable metals, exposing workers to hazardous substances.
In Africa, e-waste is a pressing issue, with significant dismantling sites in countries like Ghana and Nigeria, where unsafe practices prevail.
According to the global E-waste Monitor 2024 report published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and United Nations Institute for Training And Research (UNITAR), the world’s generation of electronic waste is rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling.
The report added that the 62 million tonnes of e-waste generated in 2022 would fill 1.55 million 40-tonne trucks, roughly enough trucks to form a bumper-to-bumper line encircling the equator.
However, the report notes that Africa produces the least volume of e-waste at 2.5KG per capita compared to Europe at 17.6KG per capita.
With that being said, below are the African countries that produce the largest volume of electronic waste according to the UNITAR report.
| Rank | Country | E-Waste Volume (KG) |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Egypt |
690 |
|
2 |
South Africa |
530 |
|
3 |
Nigeria |
500 |
|
4 |
Algeria |
330 |
|
5 |
Morocco |
180 |
|
6 |
Angola |
150 |
|
7 |
Kenya |
88 |
|
8 |
Ethiopia |
88 |
|
9 |
Ghana |
72 |
|
10 |
DR Congo |
56 |
E-Waste regulation in Africa
The electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) put on the market (POM) stands at 5.5 billion KG in Africa. This indicates a per capital value of e-waste at between 3.5KG/2.5KG in the continent.
Some African countries have implemented legislation to address the growing issue of e-waste on the continent. These measures include the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy, which encourages companies to adopt sustainable design and manufacturing practices to promote recycling and reduce pollution.
A recent report highlights that 11 African countries have enacted policies or laws to regulate e-waste production. In North Africa, Egypt stands out as the only country with established e-waste legislation. In West Africa, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria have similar regulations, while Cameroon leads in Central Africa.
In East Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda have implemented policies to tackle e-waste, and in Southern Africa, South Africa and Zambia have established legislation aligned with the EPR framework.
Madagascar’s Decree No. 2015-930, on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) sets out a framework for the classification and management of e-waste by promoting the disposal of goods in an environmentally sound manner.
These initiatives mark important steps toward mitigating e-waste’s environmental and health impacts across the continent.
