INTRODUCTION
Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) including Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) offer great opportunities for the world´s development, guarantees higher living standards and satisfy several needs. However, end of life equipment such as phones, laptops, sensors, televisions, washing machines, air-conditioners, fridges and many others pose considerable risks on human health and on the environment, especially if treated inadequately or mismanaged. This is because this waste stream popularly known as electronic waste (e-waste) contains hazardous substances and therefore requires specialized collection and treatment services. However, Nigeria like most other African countries does not have a fully developed system for environmentally sound management of e-waste. Therefore, most of the e-waste generated are managed by the informal sector which employs crude methods that are rather polluting and create health risks for the workers.
To transit to a formal well documented system of collection and recycling, the Government of Nigeria, has developed appropriate regulatory framework for e-waste management in the country. This framework has necessitated the incorporation of E-waste Producers Responsibility Organization of Nigeria (EPRON) a Producer Responsibility Organisation for the electrical and electronic equipment sector. The organisation has the responsibility for implementing the extended producer responsibility (EPR) programme in the sector; coordinating take-back of e-waste and ensuring it is managed in an environmentally sound manner; supporting the e-waste management industry to domesticate existing standards.
The WEEE Smart training manual is one of the arrangements put in place by EPRON to support the critical stakeholders in the e-waste value chain – collectors. It is an important tool for developing the capacity of these actors and for driving a formal waste management and recycling system for WEEE in Nigeria.
The training manual is one of the components of the “WEEE Transform project”, a multi-component project funded by IHS Nigeria Limited to further the cause of Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of electronic waste(e-waste) in Nigeria. The project was conceptualized to institute sound e-waste management practices and speed up the transition of the Nigerian e-waste sector handled majorly by the informal operators (with highly polluting methods) to a formal system that conserves resources, adopts best practices and ensures the protection of human health and the environment. Following the launch of this manual, registered e-waste collectors in the project participating regions namely Abia, Adamawa, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kano, Lagos, Ogun and Rivers
State will be trained based on the manual to ensure the utilisation of the required safe work operating procedures