The Tanzanian government has issued an assurance that is aimed at tackling the issue of dumped electronic waste, with Africa set to generate more of the waste than Europe by 2017.

This action follows an agreement on priority actions for reducing the growing levels of e-waste at the Pan-African Forum on E-Waste held in Nairobi, Kenya by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) back in March.

A rising dependency on electronic products has spurred economic growth in Tanzania and across the rest of Africa but has also created this new environmental hazard.

A recent study by the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed that electronics already make up 1% of the known municipal solid waste stream, while research in Europe showed e-waste to be growing at three times the rate of other municipal waste.

“The communication sector is concerned over the way we dispose of obsolete equipment, which are made with components that have toxic substances, including mercury, sulphur, cadmium and lead that have serious health effects,” said January Makamba, deputy minister of communication, science and technology.

UNEP estimates that e-waste worldwide could total 50 million tonnes per year. In Africa, this worldwide increase has been compounded by the ongoing import of waste electronics from other regions.

“Africa has been undergoing rapid ICT transformation in recent years, attempting to bridge this divide by importing second-hand or used computers, mobile phones, TV sets and other electrical and electronic equipment from developed countries,” said Jim Willis, executive secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

“African countries lack the infrastructure and resources for the environmentally sound management of electrical and electronic waste arising when such imports reach their end-of-life,” he said.

Ali D. Mohamed, permanent secretary of the ministry of environment and mineral resources of Kenya, says Africa’s environmental challenges are growing by the day and this includes the exponential growth of electronic waste.

“It is now the time for Africa to take action on addressing health and environmental problems as a result of current recycling practices, while creating jobs and business opportunities and alleviating poverty. We want to achieve this through an enforceable legislative framework,” added Mohamed.

At the Pan-African Forum African nations pledged to develop systems with the UN and NGOs, to improve collection, recycling, storage and disposal of e-waste. Activities designed to raise awareness of environmental and health hazards linked to e-waste will also be organised. The forum also recognised the possibilities of sustainable recycling of e-waste playing a part in providing green jobs and alleviating poverty.

“Sustainable management of e-waste can combat poverty and generate green jobs through recycling, collection and processing of e-waste - and safeguard the environment and human health from the hazards posed by rising levels of waste electronics,” said UN under-secretary-general and UNEP executive director, Achim Steiner.

He added that boosting the recycling of e-waste could play a part in the transition towards a Green Economy, noting that global recycling rates of some e-waste metals, known as rare earth metals, can be as low as 1% despite the fact that they can be re-used as components in everything from electric car batteries to magnets in wind turbines.

Katharina Kummer-Peiry, executive secretary of the Basel Convention said, “If you consider the value of these materials, then this represents an important economic opportunity. There are recyclers and other industrial sectors who are interested in taking advantage of such opportunities, which can in turn create green jobs and support sustainable development.”