Electronic Waste Management in Africa: The Challenge and Opportunities with the Growing Telecommunication Industry

Nigeria is often identified as the fastest moving economy and one of the most advanced ICT market sectors in Africa. In just a few years, Nigeria has become the telecommunication hotspot for both telecommunication operators and equipment suppliers. However, the growth was characterized with unprecedented release of electronic waste from the mobile phone companies into the environment and most of them highly toxic. The research addressed the adoption of environmentally sound management of electronic waste as it relates to mobile phones in Africa. Qualitative interviews were held with upper echelon executives representing firms in the Nigerian telecommunication industries with quantitative analysis using structural equation model. The study suggests the absence of legislation dealing specifically with electronic waste, inadequate infrastructure for waste management, absence of any framework for end-of-life product take-back. However, the generation of electronic waste from may turn out to be a win-win situation and clearly has inherent business opportunities for the developing countries if the adoption of environmental benign technologies and policy is embraced.