Kenya to host first-ever e-waste innovation summit as electronic waste piles up

KENYA – Kenya will host its inaugural Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Innovation Summit from September 16–18 at Strathmore Business School, bringing together local and German experts to tackle the country’s fast-rising electronic waste challenge.

The summit comes at a critical time: Kenya generates more than 80,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, yet only a fraction is formally recycled.

Two licensed facilities process less than 400 tonnes combined each year, while the majority of discarded phones, laptops, batteries, and household appliances end up in informal dumps or are dismantled under unsafe conditions.

The three-day summit will feature technology showcases, workshops, and business pitches highlighting scalable approaches to collection and recycling.

Opening sessions will focus on informal recycling models and the reuse of lithium-ion batteries, a particularly pressing issue given the rapid growth of Kenya’s mobile economy.

Kenyan and German companies will present innovations, with a competition winner announced for recyclers using German-engineered recycling machines.

Closed-door workshops will delve into topics such as SME capacity-building, sustainable financing models, and emerging recycling technologies.

Kenya has taken a bold step by introducing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations in 2024, becoming the first country in East Africa to legally mandate manufacturers to manage the entire lifecycle of their products.

The policy compels electronics producers to fund collection and recycling systems, positioning e-waste as a cornerstone of Kenya’s circular economy agenda.

Officials say the framework is expected to expand take-back schemes, attract private investment into recycling infrastructure, and strengthen Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) that coordinate compliance.

If effectively implemented, the model could create thousands of jobs and significantly reduce environmental pollution from hazardous waste.

The summit, coordinated by AHK Services Eastern Africa, is part of a wider Kenya–Germany partnership on sustainable industrialization.

Key speakers include representatives from the German Embassy, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), and the ICT Authority.

Experts note that collaboration between Kenya’s rapidly growing ICT sector and Germany’s advanced recycling technologies could provide replicable models for the wider East African region, which faces similar e-waste challenges.

With electronic consumption soaring and recycling infrastructure lagging, the summit is being hailed as a turning point for Kenya.

If successful, it could shape regional policy and investment in managing one of Africa’s most urgent waste streams.

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