7th Call - Dr. Martin Oteng-Ababio

Project Title: E-waste Processing, Health and Food Security at Agbogbloshie Market in Accra, Ghana

Principal Investigator: Dr.  Martin Oteng-Ababio (Department of Geography and Resource Development)

Email Address: moababio@ug.edu.gh

Award Amount: GHC 79,994.00

Project Status: On-going

Summary:

The EPA estimates that due to growing appetite for consumerism within the electronic economy, the generation of e-waste is increasing with the USA producing 300m tons annually (Bennim, 2010). This unprecedented growth is coming at the heels of several agitations from environmental NGOs and activist who claim about 80 percent of e- waste eventually ends up in ‘developing world’ where they are often processed in the most environmental and health threatening conditions (Bridgen, 2008; Bennim, 2010; Puckett, 2011). Studies do not contradict these assertions (Klein 2009; Lepawsky and McNabb 2010; Oteng-Ababio 2010; 2011; Agyei-Mensah and Oteng-Ababio,2012). The risky conditions include toxic health and environmental dangers. However, these studies also show at the same time that access to livelihoods, access to technology, upgrading of technical skill and knowhow, the extension of useful life of electronics, and material reuse also occur (Oteng-Ababio, 2012a & b; Grant and Oteng-Ababio, 2012). The Agbogbloshie e-waste and food market is in the CBD of Accra and exemplifies the challenges African policy makers face with respect to e-waste and its impacts on health, food security, and the environment. The site received approximately 171,000 tons of e-waste in 2009 (Amoyaw-Osei et al. 2011). As such, Agbogbloshie is simultaneously a source of toxic risk from e-waste processing and a major food distribution centre for the city of Accra (Caravanos et al. 2011). While these challenges come together in a unique pattern, they are at the same time exemplary of more general and significant challenges faced by African policy makers.