INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology
African technology companies turn environmental sustainability to their advantage
The world trashes more and more electronics every year . A new ITC workshop shows African tech companies how handling e-waste better can save money and create new exports . Esther Yeboah uses a lot of devices . She works for 365 Impact Ltd , a company in Ghana that uses tracking devices to monitor trucks and tractors , and to gather humidity data for farms .
Her office was filling up with computers and other tech that they no longer used , devices that could end up in a landfill if not disposed of properly . Known as electronic waste , or e-waste , from old devices accounts for 70 % of the world ’ s toxic waste . That poses a severe risk to human health , and to the environment .
During the pandemic , the world moved online , using more and more digital devices . The environmental cost of information and communication technology , ICT also grew – contributing to the climate crisis that is more obvious every year .
As the world uses more devices , e-waste is expected to grow by 8 % a year . But old electronics don ’ t have to end up that way . They can also be upcycled – stripped down to their most basic components , which then become a resource to make new electronics .
In the southern Ghanaian city of Kumasi , old computers get dismantled so that the metallic parts can be reused . Iron , copper , and gold get separated out and then exported to countries like Belgium and Germany , said e-waste specialist Raldwin Richard Asiedu .
“ There is never a waste appliance , whether it works well or it ’ s completely dead . You can still use the device , depending on the components . For example , a laptop , must be properly dismantled . A laptop screen is always useful . You can use it for making picture frames , mini tables or coffee tables . Keyboards can be used for learning materials in school for children in kindergarten or nursery . If you go into the motherboards , there are printed circuit boards that can be recycled ,” he added .
Doing that requires connecting with companies that have the know-how . That kind of knowledge sharing was one of the most important outcomes of a workshop in December , where Esther and Raldwin were among a group of IT companies and tech start-ups who learned how to reduce technology ’ s environmental impact .
The recent Greening ICT workshop , run by the Netherlands Trust Fund V ’ s Ghana Tech project , also looked at how to reduce the energy consumed by electronics and ICT sustainability certification .
The workshop does not just aim to increase technology companies score on operating in an environmentally friendly way . It also aims to lay out tangible benefits , such as attracting clients , talent , investors – while saving on costs .
Some energy-saving tips are surprisingly easy to implement . For example , using cloud databases saves energy compared to installing new servers . And reducing the brightness of screens from 100 % to 70 % can save one-fifth of the energy used by the monitor .
The Netherlands Trust Fund V , NTF , July 2021 – June 2025 is based on a partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands and the International Trade Centre . The programme supports MSMEs in the digital technologies and agribusiness sectors . Its ambition is two-fold : to contribute to an inclusive and sustainable transformation of food systems , partially through digital solutions , and drive the internationalisation of tech start-ups and export of IT and BPO companies in selected Sub-Saharan African countries . p
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