By Avit Ndayiziga

Moses Nahimana stands amid broken phones and computer parts at Bata, Bujumbura’s bustling electronics hub, facing a daily dilemma of what to do with toxic waste.

“When spare parts are damaged, I throw them into trash piles. Street children often come to scavenge them,” Nahimana admits. At home, he sometimes burns the waste, releasing toxic fumes that choke his neighbors. “We don’t have a safe or organized system to handle electronic waste. As traders, we are left to manage it ourselves, and that puts everyone at risk.”

Failing Waste Systems

His struggle reflects a national crisis. Despite ratifying the regional Bamako Convention against illegal dumping of hazardous waste, Burundi is becoming an e-waste dumping ground, with imported electronics vastly outpacing exports and collection systems collapsing under the weight of mounting toxic materials.

The 2024 ARCT Report reveals stark numbers: Burundi imported more than 26 million electrical and electronic devices while exporting only 2.8 million. E-waste collection plummeted 36.6 percent, from 103,979 kilograms in 2023 to 65,872 kilograms in 2024, leaving the rest to pile up without proper disposal.

Africa generated the lowest e-waste per inhabitant in 2022—just 2.5 kilograms per person—but recorded the weakest formal collection and recycling rate at only 0.7 percent. Burundi produced

0.6 kilograms per person, among the continent’s lowest, yet it lacks the infrastructure to manage even this amount.

By contrast, Europe produced 17.6 kilograms per inhabitant but recycled 42.8 percent through formal systems.

The absence of an organized collection creates serious challenges. Roger Ouedraogo, representative of GLICE (Great Lakes Initiatives for Communities Empowerment), the sole government-authorized private organization managing e-waste, regrets that the system remains costly and fragmented.

“Burundi does not yet have a well-organized system for hazardous waste collection. We are forced to retrieve materials from various dumping sites across the country, which drives up costs.”

For decades, people discarded obsolete equipment in open spaces despite toxic components. GLICE now operates a collection center in Carama, Ntahangwa commune, where workers dismantle equipment and sort materials. Pure fractions—iron, copper, aluminum—are recycled

locally. Complex fractions, including flat screens, motherboards, and batteries, cannot be treated in Burundi and are exported to Belgium and the Netherlands.

Toxic Risks to Health and Environment

Plastics from IT equipment pose major challenges. “Despite their large volume, these plastics are not recyclable because they contain chemical compounds that hinder the process. They pose serious risks,” Ouedraogo warned.

Noël Nkurunziza, Secretary General of the Burundian Consumers’ Association (ABUCO), voiced concern over the practice. “We regret that so much electronic waste is still being dumped in broad daylight. It endangers both public health and the environment.”

Most electronic devices contain hazardous substances, including mercury and lead. When released into the environment, these heavy metals seep into soil and water, triggering bioaccumulation in living organisms.

“These toxins build up in fish and other species, eventually contaminating the people who consume them,” Nkurunziza explained. “Heavy hazardous waste can damage nearly every organ in the human body. They particularly affect the central nervous system, the immune and cardiovascular systems, reproductive organs, and can even stunt growth.”

Bamako Convention: Ratified but Unimplemented

Burundi ratified the Bamako Convention, which bans hazardous waste imports into Africa and regulates management within the continent. Yet implementation remains weak.

The Convention requires parties to take measures to prevent hazardous waste generation at source and ensure environmentally sound management. It also mandates the designation of competent authorities with clear responsibilities. Article 10 requires monitoring and enforcement systems.

Nkurunziza says the government must strengthen its role. “We do not understand how the government can depend on just one organization to handle such a critical issue. A specific law on e-waste management is necessary to protect consumers. Dedicated bins for electrical and electronic waste must also be put in place.”

The Convention’s Article 13 requires parties to transmit information on hazardous waste management to the Secretariat’s Regional Coordination and Harmonization Mechanism. This reporting would document e-waste generation, track collection rates, and identify gaps—creating accountability and enabling regional learning.

Without systematic reporting, Burundi’s e-waste crisis remains invisible to continental oversight mechanisms designed to coordinate responses and share solutions.

“The Bamako Convention provides a framework, but Burundi hasn’t built the institutional capacity to implement it,” said Nkurunziza. “We signed the treaty, but where are the designated authorities? Where is the monitoring system? Where is the public reporting on hazardous waste?”

In June 2024, Burundi launched a national e-waste management plan (PGDEEE) under the PAFEN project, setting out reforms and investments to protect health and the environment while creating green jobs.

Central to the plan is a new legal framework, including a decree to enforce national e-waste policy and restrict imports of substandard equipment. Authorities aim to establish modern recycling centers and secure storage zones for hazardous fractions. Financing will be mobilized through international partners, including the World Bank and ENABEL.

A national committee will coordinate implementation, while awareness campaigns will target youth and consumers. Clear targets have been set: 100 tonnes collected in year one, 200 tonnes in year two, and 300 tonnes in year three.

The plan aligns with Bamako Convention obligations but faces implementation challenges. Establishing the competent authorities, monitoring systems, and reporting mechanisms that the Convention requires will test the government’s commitment.

Youth-Led Solutions

Beyond government plans, young entrepreneurs are stepping in. Johnson Miburo founded AKanyoni Corporation, which recycles discarded phones, computer parts, and old batteries into eco-friendly power banks.

“The training opened my eyes to how harmful e-waste is to our health and environment,” Miburo recalls of his electronics waste management training in Uganda two years ago. His company now collects, recycles, and produces sustainable charging devices in Ngozi, northern Burundi.

The innovation addresses two urgent needs: reducing hazardous waste and keeping people connected during frequent power outages. His work has earned him recognition from UNDP’s Innovation Week competition and the national self-empowerment program.

AKanyoni Corporation now employs 20 people. Miburo hopes to replace conventional power banks with eco-friendly alternatives while training others to expand the initiative. He cites a lack of financial means as the main barrier to expanding into other provinces.

The innovation has inspired Nahimana. “It’s not just about technology, it’s a chance to protect the environment while bringing real benefits to my community.” He plans to purchase and distribute biodegradable power banks at Bata.

While entrepreneurs innovate and government plans emerge, the fundamental gap remains: Burundi ratified the Bamako Convention but has not built the institutional infrastructure the treaty requires.

The Convention’s Regional Coordination Mechanism could provide technical assistance, facilitate technology transfer, and connect Burundi with countries that have successfully implemented e-waste systems. But coordination requires data—documentation of waste streams, collection rates, and disposal methods that Burundi does not systematically compile or report.

Street children continue scavenging toxic components from trash piles. Traders burn plastic casings, releasing carcinogens. Mercury and lead seep into soil and water. And the gap between imported electronics and collection capacity widens each year.

Burundi’s 2024 e-waste plan offers hope, but implementation will require the institutional capacity the Bamako Convention demands: designated authorities, monitoring systems, enforcement mechanisms, and transparent reporting that transforms treaty ratification into community protection.

This story is produced with support from the Bamako Convention Secretariat in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights (JHR).