{"id":60087010,"date":"2025-06-19T17:50:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T16:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?p=60087010"},"modified":"2025-07-02T15:09:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T14:09:37","slug":"the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"The homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There is no night or day in Ghana\u2019s infamous e-waste graveyard Agbogbloshie<\/a>. Hundreds of unofficial e-waste pickers scour its sprawling terrain to extract components that contain copper, cobalt, lithium and other precious metals. If it has a circuit board or battery, it is fair game. These components fetch a decent price on the black market<\/a>, where demand is high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Africa has an e-waste problem. Collection and recycling are mostly controlled by informal actors who often lack knowledge of the health and environmental dangers posed by improper handling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hussein Apeh, supervisor and operations officer at Hinckley Recycling, a Nigerian e-waste recycler, said informal pickers are swift and persistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey remove what they think is valuable, then discard the rest in dumpsites, including damaged batteries that can leak or ignite,\u201d he told Dialogue Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The consequences can be grave. Toxic fumes are released when plastics are burned, and heavy metals seep into the surrounding soil and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent VoxDev study<\/a> revealed that infant mortality rose by 10% for babies born within 10 kilometres of Ghana\u2019s Agbogbloshie and Nigeria\u2019s Olusosun<\/a> dumpsites, while respiratory illnesses are widespread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), Africa generates about 3.5 million metric tonnes<\/a> of e-waste annually. Although small in comparison to Asia\u2019s 30 million metric tonnes<\/a>, less than 1% of Africa\u2019s e-waste is formally collected<\/a> and safely recycled. The remainder feeds an informal economy marked by makeshift, often dangerous recycling practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s at least 70 to 80% capacity in second-life batteries, and they can be repurposed for solar storage and backup power systems<\/blockquote>Solomon Onuchukwu, of Nigeria\u2019s E-waste Producer Responsibility Organization (EPRON)<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The continent\u2019s shift toward a green transition and its embrace of e-mobility risk worsening this crisis. Africa\u2019s electric vehicle (EV) market is growing rapidly<\/a>, projected to reach USD 17.41 billion<\/a> this year and expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.2%, hitting USD 28.3 billion by 2030. Local EV manufacturing<\/a> and the proliferation<\/a> of e-bike startups are accelerating battery usage, just as solar and other renewable energy installations gain traction<\/a>. Africa\u2019s battery market is forecast to reach USD 4.97 billion<\/a> this year and grow to USD 6.82 billion by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without a coordinated approach to battery disposal, the progress of electrification could leave a toxic legacy. But experts argue that with the right policies and investment in battery reuse and recycling, the continent could turn a looming threat into an economic opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solomon Onuchukwu, an analytical chemist and enumerator<\/a> at Nigeria\u2019s E-waste Producer Responsibility Organization (EPRON), said the repurposing of used batteries could significantly reduce energy storage costs for renewable energy installations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s at least 70 to 80% capacity in second-life batteries, and they can be repurposed for solar storage and backup power systems,\u201d Onuchukwu noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collins Owuor, a renewable-energy specialist at the East African Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Efficiency (EACREE), echoed this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the capacity is there, it will be possible to extend the life of various decommissioned batteries,\u201d he told Dialogue Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd then enable them to serve longer or repurpose them for other uses like supporting e-mobility in 3-wheelers (keke\/tuk-tuk\/rickshaw) and 2-wheelers (okada\/bodaboda).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, a handful of pioneering ventures across Africa are demonstrating how homegrown, scalable recycling models can meet the challenge. Hinckley Recycling in Nigeria, SLS Energy in Rwanda, and Cwenga Lib in South Africa are three examples of companies attempting to build sustainable, safe systems for battery recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleaning up battery waste legally and at scale in Nigeria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Hinckley Recycling announced<\/a> the launch of a USD 5 million lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Ogun State, Nigeria. Though the plant is still scaling up to full operation, the company has already begun repurposing usable battery cells into modular power packs for mini-grids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFirst, we test them to separate the good cells from the bad ones,\u201d Apeh explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe good cells are repurposed into power packs [for mini-grids], while batteries that reach their end-of-life [bad cells] are collected and sent to our partners outside Nigeria for material recovery.\u201d Metals like lithium, nickel and cobalt are extracted from these exhausted batteries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInstead of mining virgin materials from the earth, we do what is called urban mining,\u201d Apeh said, referring to materials extraction from e-waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"man<\/div>
Muritala Olorunjuwon Kabir, a worker at Hinckley Recycling\u2019s facility in Nigeria, dismantles an old battery to extract still-functioning cells, which will be repurposed into new modular power packs (Image:\u00a0Hinckley Ewaste Recycling Ltd)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, Hinckley processed around 10,000 individual lithium-ion batteries and exported 25 tonnes of battery waste for recycling. These figures are expected to rise significantly once the new facility reaches capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinckley\u2019s power packs are built in partnership with Aceleron Energy, a UK-based firm, and incorporate a compression technology that allows individual cells to be replaced, extending their life span.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A persistent challenge in Nigeria is the lack of formal battery collection centres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the moment, the burden of rightfully disposing batteries lies with the consumer,\u201d said Owuor. He added that incentivised collection programmes would help strengthen recycling value chains. Hinckley is attempting to do just that by operating over five collection centres across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company sources used batteries primarily from telecom operators and solar home system providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe work closely with IHS Towers, which powers telecom towers across Nigeria,\u201d Apeh said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey use a lot of batteries for backup power, and when those go bad, they send them to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinckley is also relying on policy enforcement. Nigeria\u2019s National Environmental (Battery Control) Regulations, 2024, are designed<\/a> to support the rollout of extended producer responsibility (EPR) programmes. Such programmes aim to make the recycling of products a duty of their manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apeh believes enforcement will help build awareness, formalise collection, and scale battery-recycling efforts nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A community-based approach to battery recycling in South Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In South Africa, Cwenga Lib<\/a> is pursuing a decentralised model for lithium-ion battery recycling that emphasises safety and modularity. Rather than build large-scale plants, the company is deploying compact facilities that can be situated in communities across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the core of our process is safety and local adaptability,\u201d said Lesego Siwela, Cwenga\u2019s project lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe use food-grade reagents, no high heat, and no pressure-based systems. That means our technology can run in a small community in Mauritius just as well as it does here in South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developed from purification research conducted at the University of the Western Cape, Cwenga\u2019s ion-exchange process extracts key metals without generating harmful secondary waste.  \u201cWe\u2019ve built a clean chemistry process that works in a containerised, decentralised facility,\u201d Ed Hardwick, Cwenga\u2019s founder, shared. \u201cThat means we don\u2019t need to ship batteries across borders, or invest hundreds of millions in a huge, dangerous plant. We want this to be Africa\u2019s own answer to the battery-waste problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/div>
One of Cwenga Lib\u2019s ion exchange units, which separate and recover materials such as cobalt and nickel from used lithium-ion batteries (Image: Cwenga Lib)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cwenga receives only 10-15% of formally collected waste in South Africa (which is around 4%<\/a> of the country\u2019s total waste). By using modular units, the company aims to minimise transport costs and ensure scalability. \u201cWe can place small facilities closer to collection zones instead of shipping waste across countries to one huge plant,\u201d said Siwela.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major barrier remains battery literacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople aren\u2019t sorting their e-waste,\u201d noted Jenny Falconer, Cwenga\u2019s technical lead. \u201cMany don\u2019t know batteries are hazardous and when labels don\u2019t indicate battery chemistry, you can\u2019t even tell what\u2019s safe to handle or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Africa\u2019s 2021 EPR policy mandates<\/a> that battery producers take back their products at end-of-life. Cwenga is one of the only companies operating under this framework and successfully turning lithium-ion waste into reusable materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur model is still young, but it\u2019s working,\u201d said Falconer. \u201cWe\u2019re showing that battery recycling doesn\u2019t have to mean industrial risk or toxic runoff. It can be clean, decentralised, and community-run.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cwenga currently doesn\u2019t directly handle the repurposing of used batteries. It works closely with upstream partners who do. These partners test and extract viable cells from spent batteries, often from e-mobility or solar power systems, and assemble them into power solutions for backup systems, clinics, or rural mini-grids. Only once those batteries are fully exhausted do they arrive at Cwenga\u2019s plant for processing. There they are able to extract cobalt oxide, which is sold to ceramics and pottery makers, and nickel carbonate, which goes into glassmaking and industrial catalysts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From e-mobility to community power in Rwanda<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SLS Energy<\/a> is a Rwanda-based firm founded by renewable-energy engineer L\u00e9andre Berwa. It is repurposing lithium-ion batteries from electric motorcycles and solar systems into modular power packs. SLS power packs now serve telecom towers, rural health centres, and refugee camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berwa noticed that batteries used in two-wheelers with battery-swapping systems reached the end of their life far faster \u2013 sometimes in as little as three years \u2013 despite still retaining up to 70% of their storage capacity. \u201cI saw that they weren\u2019t dead,\u201d he stated. \u201cThey just weren\u2019t fit for their original purpose anymore. But they could still be really valuable in new roles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"two<\/div>
A worker changes a battery on an electric two-wheeler in Rwanda\u2019s capital Kigali. Local company SLS Energy is repurposing batteries like these once they reach the end of life, creating new power packs that serve telecom towers, rural health centres and refugee camps (Image:\u00a0 Martina Fuchs \/ Xinhua \/ Alamy)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

SLS is also targeting use cases on farms. In partnership with agricultural initiatives like One Acre Fund<\/a>, its battery packs now support the company\u2019s \u201cirrigation-as-a-service\u201d offering, where farmers are provided with on-demand access to water delivery systems, so they can grow crops more efficiently. With SLS\u2019s battery packs, it is able to dispatch mobile, solar-charged units daily to smallholder farms growing crops, often for export. \u201cThe electric pumps reduce the farmers\u2019 reliance on diesel,\u201d said Berwa. \u201cAnd they can share the system between plots, which lowers cost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each battery is tested with proprietary software, matched by chemistry and age, and tagged with a QR code that tracks its deployment and performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Africa can\u2019t afford to mine minerals, export batteries, and then throw them away<\/blockquote>L\u00e9andre Berwa, renewable-energy engineer <\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe biggest safety risks come from human error or mismatch,\u201d Berwa told Dialogue Earth. \u201cBut we carefully address both through traceability and smart configuration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, SLS helped divert more than 100 tonnes of battery waste from landfills. The company is now expanding into Nigeria and Kenya, where partnerships with Hinckley and other stakeholders are already in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEVs are scaling, and with that comes battery retirement,\u201d Berwa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t have local reuse solutions, we\u2019re just shifting the waste problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Cwenga and Hinckley, Berwa sees the work SLS does as economic justice. \u201cAfrica can\u2019t afford to mine minerals, export batteries, and then throw them away,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to keep those resources on the continent, powering our homes, our businesses, and our growth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Africa\u2019s EV market booms, homegrown innovators are racing to recycle batteries and stop a toxic legacy before it starts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50000781,"featured_media":60087113,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[760],"tags":[13444,50040319],"hashtags":[],"country":[50040738,50041221,50041622],"class_list":["post-60087010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pollution","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-hazardous-waste","country-ghana","country-nigeria","country-rwanda"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As Africa\u2019s EV market booms, homegrown innovators are racing to recycle batteries and stop a toxic legacy before it starts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As Africa\u2019s EV market booms, homegrown innovators are racing to recycle batteries and stop a toxic legacy before it starts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dialogue Earth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-19T16:50:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-02T14:09:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ghana-Agbogbloshie-dump-men-burn-ewaste_OlivierAsselin_Alamy_CRNFNP-1-e1750347050471.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chidinma Iwu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chidinma Iwu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/33c985e7538f51cdcdd10c0cdc5fc365\"},\"headline\":\"The homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-19T16:50:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-02T14:09:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/\"},\"wordCount\":1847,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ghana-Agbogbloshie-dump-men-burn-ewaste_OlivierAsselin_Alamy_CRNFNP-1-e1750347050471.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Electric vehicles\",\"Hazardous waste\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Pollution\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/\",\"name\":\"The homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis | Dialogue Earth\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ghana-Agbogbloshie-dump-men-burn-ewaste_OlivierAsselin_Alamy_CRNFNP-1-e1750347050471.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-19T16:50:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-02T14:09:37+00:00\",\"description\":\"As Africa\u2019s EV market booms, homegrown innovators are racing to recycle batteries and stop a toxic legacy before it starts\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ghana-Agbogbloshie-dump-men-burn-ewaste_OlivierAsselin_Alamy_CRNFNP-1-e1750347050471.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ghana-Agbogbloshie-dump-men-burn-ewaste_OlivierAsselin_Alamy_CRNFNP-1-e1750347050471.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"CRNFNP Teenage boys burn cables from computers and other electronics to recover copper near the Agbogboloshie slum in Accra, Ghana\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Dialogue Earth\",\"description\":\"Global climate and environment news\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"\u5bf9\u8bdd\u5730\u7403\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Dialogue-Earth-Symbol-Logo_Black-Text.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Dialogue-Earth-Symbol-Logo_Black-Text.png\",\"width\":256,\"height\":256,\"caption\":\"\u5bf9\u8bdd\u5730\u7403\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DialogueEarth_\",\"\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DialogueEarth.English\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dialogue.earth\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/dialogueearth\/\"],\"publishingPrinciples\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/about\/\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/33c985e7538f51cdcdd10c0cdc5fc365\",\"name\":\"Chidinma Iwu\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/author\/chidinmaiwu\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/author\/chidinmaiwu\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis | Dialogue Earth","description":"As Africa\u2019s EV market booms, homegrown innovators are racing to recycle batteries and stop a toxic legacy before it starts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis","og_description":"As Africa\u2019s EV market booms, homegrown innovators are racing to recycle batteries and stop a toxic legacy before it starts","og_url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/","og_site_name":"Dialogue Earth","article_published_time":"2025-06-19T16:50:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-02T14:09:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ghana-Agbogbloshie-dump-men-burn-ewaste_OlivierAsselin_Alamy_CRNFNP-1-e1750347050471.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Chidinma Iwu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/"},"author":{"name":"Chidinma Iwu","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/33c985e7538f51cdcdd10c0cdc5fc365"},"headline":"The homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis","datePublished":"2025-06-19T16:50:26+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-02T14:09:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/"},"wordCount":1847,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ghana-Agbogbloshie-dump-men-burn-ewaste_OlivierAsselin_Alamy_CRNFNP-1-e1750347050471.jpg","keywords":["Electric vehicles","Hazardous waste"],"articleSection":["Pollution"],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/","name":"The homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis | Dialogue Earth","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ghana-Agbogbloshie-dump-men-burn-ewaste_OlivierAsselin_Alamy_CRNFNP-1-e1750347050471.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-19T16:50:26+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-02T14:09:37+00:00","description":"As Africa\u2019s EV market booms, homegrown innovators are racing to recycle batteries and stop a toxic legacy before it starts","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ghana-Agbogbloshie-dump-men-burn-ewaste_OlivierAsselin_Alamy_CRNFNP-1-e1750347050471.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ghana-Agbogbloshie-dump-men-burn-ewaste_OlivierAsselin_Alamy_CRNFNP-1-e1750347050471.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"CRNFNP Teenage boys burn cables from computers and other electronics to recover copper near the Agbogboloshie slum in Accra, Ghana"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/the-homegrown-start-ups-hoping-to-solve-africas-e-waste-crisis\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The homegrown start-ups hoping to solve Africa\u2019s e-waste crisis"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/","name":"Dialogue Earth","description":"Global climate and environment news","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization","name":"\u5bf9\u8bdd\u5730\u7403","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Dialogue-Earth-Symbol-Logo_Black-Text.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Dialogue-Earth-Symbol-Logo_Black-Text.png","width":256,"height":256,"caption":"\u5bf9\u8bdd\u5730\u7403"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/DialogueEarth_","","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DialogueEarth.English","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dialogue.earth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/dialogueearth\/"],"publishingPrinciples":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/about\/"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/33c985e7538f51cdcdd10c0cdc5fc365","name":"Chidinma Iwu","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/author\/chidinmaiwu\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/author\/chidinmaiwu\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60087010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50000781"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60087010"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60087010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60087142,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60087010\/revisions\/60087142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60087113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60087010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60087010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60087010"},{"taxonomy":"hashtags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtags?post=60087010"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=60087010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}