Far from the miserabilistic image of underdeveloped countries, the future of the African continent seems to be written with smartphones, tablets, computers and other electronic devices. Computer equipment that finds its application in various fields such as e-commerce, clothing, music, real estate, and of course, the environment.
In rural areas, where the World Bank counts nearly 650 million people living without electricity, solar systems implemented through electronic devices, allow people to light up, educate themselves and heat themselves with low carbon emissions. However, in this dynamic of relying on digital solutions for green growth and climate resilience, precautions must be taken for a complete cycle in the decarbonation of the African continent. In fact, here we are closer to the concept of circular economy.
Preventing Africa from being a dumping ground for old technologies
The pavilion of the African Development Bank (AfDB) at COP24 in Poland, organised as part of its activities on Wednesday, December 5, 2018, a conference on the theme: “A new climate action: digital decarbonation of the African continent”.It is therefore during these exchanges on the digital revolution, as a pledge of the promotion of renewable energies and especially the energy efficient, through the pooling and sharing of data, that the recall was made. The Director of Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank has pointed out the need to avoid specific pitfalls in the deployment of rapidly evolving technologies on the continent. “Currently, there is no real recycling policy or collection point for the growing amount of electronic waste,” says Anthony Nyong. “More effective policy interventions, regulations and business models need to be developed, tailored to African economies, to prevent Africa from becoming a new landfill for electrical and electronic waste”. He adds.
Boris Ngounou