Pollution from electronic waste has increased with the development of technology in Africa. In 2019, the continent generated 2.9 million tons of e-waste, of which only 1% was actually collected and recycled, according to the Global E-waste Monitor. The sources of this pollution now include off-grid electricity access equipment, which is rapidly being deployed in Africa south of the Sahara. With a view to reducing the impact of its activities on the environment, the British company Mobile Power, which rents out electric batteries in Africa, has signed a partnership agreement with Hinckley E-waste Recycling Nigeria.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Liberia, Uganda, Zambia, Chad and the Gambia, Mobile Power deploys Mopo hubs in rural communities. Powered by solar energy, these hubs enable batteries to be exchanged thanks to local Mobile Power agents. As part of the partnership signed with Hinckley, the Lagos-based company will provide “the process and procedures to ship used Mopo batteries under the Basel Convention for recycling” by Accurec, a company based in Mülheim, Germany.
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“We are (…) aware of the crucial need to recycle our batteries to mitigate pollution, conserve resources and, ultimately, cultivate a healthier planet for future generations. We are therefore delighted to be working with e-waste recycler Hinckley to create a ‘closed loop’ with Mopo battery recycling integrated into our service,” explains Mobile Power CEO Chris Longbottom.
To date, the company founded in 2017 in England claims 6 million battery swaps a year. In 2023, Mobile Power has entered into a partnership with financial company CrossBoundary Access to invest $10 million in electric battery leasing in Nigeria, a vast market of over 213 million inhabitants where everything remains to be done in terms of rural electrification.
Jean Marie Takouleu