Dive Summary:

• The UN studied the electronic waste of five emerging countries in west Africa- Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria, and found between 650,000 and 1 million tons of domestic e-waste generated each year.
• The report found that domestic consumption makes up around 85 percent of e-waste in Africa and the rest is sent from other developed countries.
• The new collection of waste is providing serious health risks for the people, however if handled right, the influx of technology can create thousands of jobs and rocket Africa’s development.

From the article:

The rate at which cheap electronic gadgets for retail are flooding the local market could be viewed by some as development. In most parts of Zimbabwe as in most African states’ urban settlements, there are mushrooming satellite receivers, a move that has helped connect both the urban/rural folk with the rest of the world - making the remotest areas part of the global village...