While e-waste management has created business opportunities and jobs, it has also been an opportunity to mitigate climate change.

Rwanda’s investment in collecting, dismantling, refurbishing and recycling electronic waste has mitigated 1,648 tonnes of carbon emissions since the inception according to available figures.

To ensure sustainable management of e-waste, the Government of Rwanda in partnership with Enviroserve Rwanda Green Park established a modern and environmentally friendly state of art e-waste dismantling and recycling facility to treat e-waste in Bugesera Industrial park in January 2018.

Figures show that over 5, 430 computers have been refurbished and reused in schools while 2,778 tonnes of e-waste have been collected as 2,500 tonnes of e-waste were dismantled

They indicate that 550 tonnes of solar e-waste were also collected.

Officials say there are untapped business opportunities in e-waste management.

This is based on the fact that the facility operates at only between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of its capacity collecting between 3,000 tonnes and 4,000 tonnes of electronic waste per year yet between 10,000 tons and 15,000 tonnes should be collected.

The expected amount of e-waste to be generated in Rwanda showed an annual increase of 6 per cent.

Officials say the country still lacks skilled technicians to work in the e-waste management value chain namely collection of e-waste, repair, refurbishment, and dismantling and there is a need for collection points around the country to ensure proper collection of e-waste.

The facility’s General Manager, Olivier Mbera said that there has been an ongoing campaign which seeks to create awareness on sustainable management of end of life electrical and electronic waste hence building skills of 300 current repair technicians without a formal degree and license in sustainable e-waste management.

"It is the right moment to empower Rwandan youth especially women and informal technicians with technical knowledge and skills, concretely, through theoretical and practical oriented training and apprenticeship at the state of art e-waste recycling and dismantling facility,” he said.

He said that the move will enable the creation of green jobs in e-waste collection, repairing, and recycling and promote the circular economy.

"We have launched another e-waste collection point which will be the central point for collection and interim storage of e-waste from Rubavu District,” he said.

Other collection points have been established in different districts of the country.

According to the global e-waste monitor 2020 statistics, 53.6 million metric tons (Mt) of e-waste was generated worldwide.

The new report also predicts global e-waste – discarded products with a battery or plug – will reach 74 Mt by 2030, almost a doubling of e-waste in just 16 years.

This makes e-waste the world’s fastest-growing domestic waste stream, fueled mainly by higher consumption rates of electric and electronic equipment, short life cycles, and few options for repair (ISWA, 2020).

The demand for electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) has increased significantly in Rwanda due to the general economic growth and modernization.