The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) says policy and regulation are important in the management of
waste from electrical and electronic materials.
ITU representative for Southern Africa, Chali Tumero, said this when opening a workshop on the development
of Malawi’s policy on e-waste management in Lilongwe. Tumero observed that globally, only 39 percent of countries
are covered by an e-waste policy or regulation yet the information society is growing and disposable incomes increasing.
“The information society growth and the increase in disposable incomes have a direct effect on the growing amount
of e-waste which official collection and recycling rates are failing to keep pace,” she said.
MACRA’s acting Director General Henry Silika appealed for support from stakeholders in the formulation of the e-waste policy.
“The taskforce can only come up with the right solutions if you, the stakeholders, are fully involved in the formulation of the policy and that is why we decided to reach out to you to be part of the process towards
the development of the national policy on e-waste management,” he said.
And in his message, Deputy Director of Environmental Affairs, Beno Yassin called for the buying of quality electrical
and electronic products that can be used for a longer time.
The workshop was sponsored by ITU within the framework of the technical support which the Telecommunication Development Bureau is currently providing.
A similar workshop was also conducted in Blantyre, pooling together stakeholders from the
all the regions.
