Ghana’s political will to curb dumping of e-waste questioned

Electronic gadgets are basic necessities of every household in Ghana. Television and radio sets, refrigerators, pressing irons, air conditioners, microwave ovens and computers can be found in each home or office.

The trade in electronic gadgets is also a lucrative economic venture for some Ghanaians, home and abroad. Today on the streets of Kumasi and other major cities in Ghana, it is common place to find these gadgets on sale in the open market.

Most of the second-hand or 'home-used' goods are imported from Europe and America and patronage is over 80 percent high, because of price affordability and the perception among Ghanaians that these products are durable.

However, there are increasing concerns being raised about the environmental and human hazards posed by most of these used electronic gadgets, termed 'e-waste'.

Studies indicate about 170 thousand tonnes of e-waste have been dumped in Ghana. The country is said to have imported 31,400 metric tonnes of used electrical appliances in 2010 alone, 75 percent more than what was imported in 2009; with the United Kingdom accounting for more than half the quantum of imports.

Addressing a recent forum by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Accra, Vice President John Mahama acknowledged e-waste has become a menace to the Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry, as many of these equipment end up in water bodies and landfill sites thereby polluting the environment.

Government says it is in the final stages of enacting a law to control the importation of used electronic gadgets into the country, as the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology collaborates with other ministries to finalize the draft legislation on how the country will stem the menace of e-waste.

But advocates against electronic dumping, like Emmanuel Dogbevi, believes Ghana lacks the political will to curb e-dumping.

“We have a clear and present danger, a situation that calls for immediate, urgent calculated action; and if government is still talking about laws, what concrete action is on the ground to address the issue? It's not evident… we need serious public education to discourage Ghanaians from patronizing old electronic consumer goods. People might think initially that they're cheap but they're not; they're expensive in the long run”, he told Luv Fm.

Mr. Dogbevi noted that curbing the menace will also involve government formulating policies “that deal with the issue of poverty in relation to citizen's ability to acquire electronic gadgets which are essential for basic everyday existence”.

Meanwhile, many respondents who spoke to Luv Fm on the streets of Kumasi are opposed to the idea of a ban, because for them the second-hand appliances are not only cheaper but of higher quality.

Some dealers also find total ban unnecessary. The rather want mandated state agencies to properly screen imported products for their quality and environmental risk.

Others argue there should be no ban, at all, because taxes on such imports give government revenue.

But according to Mr. Dogbevi, the health and environmental hazards of e-waste far outweigh their economic importance, stating that “e-waste contains hazardous, toxic chemicals that have serious implications and dangers to environment and human health… so what is economic wellbeing when you don't have an environment safe enough to exist and to have a healthy lifestyle?”

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh/Luv Fm/Ghana