Where are WEEE in Africa?

This paper presents the findings of national e-waste assessments prepared in West Africa, which were developed under the framework of the Basel Convention “e-waste Africa project”. West Africa faces a rising tide of e-waste generated by domestic consumption of new and used electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). In the five countries studied, between 650,000 and 1,000,000 tons of domestic e-waste are generated each year, which need to be managed to protect human health and the environment in the region. Aside from domestic consumption, the e-waste problem is exacerbated by an on-going 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. Study results suggest that West Africa serves as the major trading route of used EEE into the African continent, with Ghana and Nigeria as the main import hubs.