WEEE-GIP (AHK Kenya)

The initial situation

Improper disposal of electronic waste in Kenya releases toxic chemicals such as mercury and lead, endangering the environment and the health of the population.

The approach

The WEEE-GIP project (Kenyan-German GreenTech Innovation Program Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment) aims to

• make relevant market actors more visible through a WEEE Innovation Summit,
• improve the exchange of information by starting up a Technical Working Group (TWG) and
• support waste management.

The TWG is managed by AHK Services Eastern Africa Ltd. in cooperation with a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) and consists of representatives of the Kenyan private sector, local stakeholders and German experts. The decisive factor here is the promotion of the Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) activities in the country.

The objectives and measures

The objective of the project is to help ensure that electric and electronic waste is properly collected, treated and recycled in Kenya. Waste management in Kenya is to be improved by building institutional capacities and infrastructures that promote sustainable economic and environmentally friendly development.

The establishment of a functioning Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) is to be specifically promoted, collection systems for electric and electronic waste at existing recycling facilities are to be made visible and the waste infrastructure in Kenya is to be improved.

The project will be implemented in four phases:

In the first phase, a baseline study will be conducted. This is followed by joining the PRO. In the third phase, a four-day event will be held in Nairobi (WEEE Innovation Summit) to discuss the challenges which various sectors are facing and the solutions developed. A pilot project will be carried out in the final phase. A company is selected as part of an ideas competition and supported by the AHK in the procurement of hardware and the design of advanced training measures. The relevant actors in waste management, from collection to recycling, are involved in each phase in order to strengthen cooperation.