Digital technology key to tackling Africa's e-waste challenge

Africa faces a growing e-waste dilemma: how to recover valuable materials from discarded electronics while ensuring they are handled safely. At the heart of the challenge is a largely informal network of collectors and recyclers who keep materials in circulation but often operate outside formal tracking and recycling systems, making oversight difficult.

Experts at the 6th Africa International E-Waste Conference in Diani, Kenya's Kwale County, which concluded on Friday, said digital technology could help bridge these gaps, provided informal operators are integrated into more coordinated e-waste management systems.

They said digital platforms, artificial intelligence and predictive maintenance could improve waste tracking, boost material recovery and extend the lifespan of electronic equipment while creating jobs.

According to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2024, Africa generated about 3.5 million metric tons of electronic waste in 2022, but less than one percent was documented as formally collected and recycled.

Stefan de Linde, founder of Minimise, an organization providing digital infrastructure for e-waste management, said digital tracking tools could help informal collectors document their activities, improve accountability and demonstrate their reliability to customers.

Minimise, which expanded its network to Kenya in January, offers a free digital platform that enables recyclers to record collections and generate reports without incurring costly software expenses.

Agabas Kwaku, CEO of AppCyclers, a Ghanaian e-waste company, said traceability is increasingly important to buyers seeking assurances about the origin of recovered materials and responsible recycling practices.

His company uses a digital marketplace to connect collectors, recyclers and buyers. Its artificial intelligence model helps identify recyclable materials and estimate prices using local and international market information.

Mark Williams, chief technology officer at South Africa-based EWaste Africa, cautioned that technology adoption must balance efficiency with job creation.

While automated sorting could improve processing, he said Africa needs solutions suited to its diverse electronic waste streams and labor markets.

Ogola Ndolo Paul, director of circularity at Kenya's Nobscott Centre for Multivendor Electronics, emphasized the importance of repairing and refurbishing equipment before disposal. He called for a national equipment registry to improve traceability throughout devices' lifecycles.

Richard Masore, e-waste management project lead at Kenya's ICT Authority, said the government is supporting e-waste collection, refurbishment and skills training.

He said a pilot program had trained about 150 young people in repair and material recovery and provided them with tools to help establish businesses.