Global South Pole

Turning Trash Into Treasure: Innovations in E-Waste Recycling

Africa is facing a growing e-waste crisis, with discarded electronics piling up and threatening health and the environment. Amid this challenge, local innovators are turning waste into opportunities, pioneering sustainable recycling solutions that drive economic growth.
Sputnik
Discarded electronics can be transformed in a responsible and meaningful way, highlighting the importance of proper e-waste recycling, Ozuma Patrick Chidiebube tells Global South Pole.

"I upcycle materials. The reason I upcycle material is because I want to raise awareness to the […] public, both in Nigeria, Africa, and the world at large. We have a restricted knowledge of waste. Whenever you mention waste, people tend to look at pet bottles, […] nylons, […] metals, but you see that nobody looks at electronic waste," Chidiebube explains.

The Nigerian innovator further adds that Africa should not be a continent where discarded electronics are dumped but a center for innovation and calls for improved support from the government.

“In Africa, there are smart people in the field of technology, in the field of art who can create these things on their own, but they don't have the right policies or the right means from the government that would encourage them to engage in these practices,” he stresses.

Art Exhibition Opens at Skolkovo Innovation Center

Samuel Kakaire, a Ugandan participant who studied art in the Soviet Union, explains that the study of ancient Russian iconography and Byzantine culture revealed to him how art can transcend cultural boundaries and challenge preconceived notions. It uses creative expression as a powerful tool to connect diverse traditions and perspectives.

"What I want to convey is that let's keep our nature. Let's not spoil our nature and also keep your traditions. Because someone who doesn't know his history will never know his future, is going to get whatever is good from other cultures," Kakaire says.

To find out what else our guests had to say, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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