Rwanda Launches e-Waste Recycling Facility in Bugesera

Part of a recycling plant in Rwanda. Government will this afternoon launch an E-waste facility in Bugesera district in Eastern Province

Rwanda government will this afternoon unveil a multi-million e-waste recycling facility in Bugesera district, Eastern Province.

With this facility, all old electronics will no longer be a problem for Rwandans.

The recycling facility is expected to save the country from environmental hazards and create thousands of green jobs.

In 2014, government invested Rwf1.1 billion (About $1.3 million) to establish the facility under its ‘National e-waste Management Strategy’ that seeks to establish Sustainable Recycling Industries.

The project is conducted by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) and National Climate Change and Environment Fund (FONERWA) together with other supporting institutions.

According to Ministry officials, the overall objective of the project is to offer an “end –of-life” solution for electronic and electrical waste, allowing a sustainable use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the country, by preventing a negative impact of electronic waste on the health or the environment once the equipment has reached its end-of life.

Innocent Karangwa, a communications specialist at the Ministry said the facility is already operational.

“There is an opportunity to officially launch the facility and celebrate the success of this transformational investment,” he said.

During the launch of the facility, officials will also handover refurbished computers to the Rwanda Education Board for distribution to primary schools in the area.

This Monday, Rwanda launched a week-long ‘Green Growth Week’ in which a series of events will bring together policy makers and practitioners from across the country and the continent to share experiences on green growth and climate resilient development.

But government is still looking for a strong Private Sector hand in promoting Green Growth strategy.

Eng. Coleta Ruhamya, Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) said on Monday that the private sector has been helping in the process but is at a slow pace.

“We need to move faster to achieve our targets,” Ruhamya said.

According to officials at the National Climate Change and Environment Fund (FONERWA), under its $87 million financing, the fund is running about approved projects that have seen 123,406 Green jobs created, 15,090.97 hectares of land secured against erosion; 31,606.27 hectares of forest and agro-forest covered while 14,949 families have been connected to its off-grid clean energy, among others.