MTN joins Germany's GIZ on e-waste program in Africa

As Africa continues grappling with increasing imports of ICT equipment without a corresponding rise in recycling capacity, regional mobile operator MTN has teamed up with Germany-based Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), to foster development for e-waste handlers in the region.

The move comes in the wake of increased interest in e-waste management by countries in the region including Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria and Tanzania, which are pushing for regulations to support the recycling of obsolete computers, mobile phones, refrigerators and television sets. African governments say that the continent has continued to be a dumping ground for electronic equipment from the developed world.

MTN will roll out e-waste collection points at key publicly accessible sites including schools, shopping malls and many other public places in a bid to collect mobile-phone e-waste, regardless of network operator or handset manufacturers.

The MTN-GIZ partnership will also work to ensure that recyclers receive a steady and sizeable supply of e-waste.

The recyclers will be monitored by MTN to ensure they abide by approved and acceptable e-waste handling processes and protocol.

"This partnership will help us to increase public awareness about the e-waste problems and provide assurance to MTN that e-waste is being handled appropriately in line with acceptable standards," said Christian de Faria, an MTN Group senior vice president.

The project will start in South Africa and will be replicated by MTN across its operations in more than 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East.

According to the latest e-waste Assessment Report South Africa, e-waste volumes are expected to increase significantly in South Africa in the next few years.

As in many countries in Africa, the expected rise in e-waste volume in South Africa is compounded by the challenges South Africa faces at the level of consumer awareness, collection, recycling processes, and the disposal of e-waste.

Several countries in the region do not have the ICT policies in place that support the establishment of e-recycling plants. Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Burundi and Zambia are all currently struggling to cope with e-waste management.

Due to lack of laws on how to dispose of used ICT equipment, Zambia, like many other countries in Africa, uses the technology- and service-neutral approach system. This system requires that all ICT equipment being imported or exported meet international standards.

But many companies and individuals fail to adhere to the policy, raising fears of health and environmental damage due to hazardous toxic waste. This has forced Uganda to ban imports of used ICT equipment, while Zambia warns it will be forced to impose a similar ban if the dumping of old ICT equipment continues.

In the East African region, only Kenya has e-waste management plants. They were set up by Hewlett-Packard, the Ireland-based Camara education organization and Consumer For Schools in Kenya in collaboration with the National City Council of Kenya and the Local Embakasi Community.

In the Southern Africa region, only South Africa has e-waste recycling plants, provided by private companies.