As global e-waste surges to record levels, more than 180 countries have gathered in Geneva for two weeks — from April 29 to May 9 — to confront the mounting crisis of toxic waste, with a spotlight on Africa’s growing burden. The high-stakes talks, held under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, aim to tighten global rules on hazardous waste and chemical pollution, especially from discarded electronics.
Africa, long a recipient of harmful electronic shipments disguised as second-hand goods, is expected to feature prominently as delegates deliberate how to curb environmental injustice and strengthen global accountability.
In 2022, the world generated a staggering 62 million tonnes of e-waste — enough to circle the equator with trucks full of scrap. That figure is expected to surge to 82 million tonnes by 2030. Despite the scale of the problem, only 22 percent of global e-waste is formally recycled. The rest? Burned, buried, or dumped — often in regions like West Africa where enforcement is weak and oversight is lacking.
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On the ground, this translates into informal recycling methods like open-air burning or acid leaching — exposing vulnerable communities to a cocktail of toxic chemicals. These processes contaminate soil, pollute water sources, and release harmful gases into the air.
“The volume of waste entering Africa is far greater than reported,” says Edem d’Almeida, founder of Africa Global Recycling based in Togo. “Much of it is smuggled in through informal routes, making it hard to track and even harder to regulate.”
Children, expectant mothers, and informal workers are paying the steepest price. According to the World Health Organization, e-waste recycling can release up to 1,000 hazardous substances — including lead, mercury, and dioxins — which are linked to serious health complications such as brain damage and respiratory disease.
Young people, often seen picking through dumpsites like Dandora in Nairobi, are the most exposed. These toxic exposures can stunt development, weaken immune systems, and leave lifelong impacts.
But the damage doesn’t stop with human health. E-waste toxins seep into crops, contaminate food systems, and destroy fragile ecosystems, worsening food insecurity and environmental degradation.
At the Geneva talks, negotiators are also debating the regulation of PFAS, a group of so-called “forever chemicals” used in everyday products like electronics, food packaging, and cosmetics. Their resistance to degradation makes them especially dangerous.
While civil society groups like the Centre for International Environmental Law are calling for a full ban, lobbying and slow consensus-building are likely to delay strong decisions.
Still, environmental advocates see the negotiations as an opportunity to link plastic pollution, chemical exposure, and e-waste into one holistic conversation — and build momentum toward a global plastics treaty scheduled for further talks later this year.
While the global community debates, some African countries are already taking action.
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Nigeria has introduced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), requiring electronics manufacturers and importers to help finance e-waste recycling.
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Ghana has placed a levy on imported second-hand electronics to fund recycling efforts.
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Rwanda is leading with public-private partnerships, building a national e-waste management center that processes old electronics safely and efficiently.
Despite these efforts, less than 1 percent of Africa’s e-waste is formally recycled — a stark contrast to the potential outlined by the United Nations, which estimates that raising global e-waste collection to 60 percent by 2030 could yield over $38 billion in benefits, from new green jobs to improved public health.
As UNEP’s chemicals and health head Jacqueline Alvarez notes, “Chemicals are integral to modern life — but if we don’t control how we manage them, they’ll continue to poison the very systems that sustain us.”
As negotiations continue in Geneva, Africa’s voice is growing louder, demanding fairness, transparency, and support to stop being the world’s digital dumping ground. With bold policy, better enforcement, and global cooperation, the tide can turn — but only if action follows the talk.
