The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has canvassed stakeholders’ conscious measures to mitigate the menace of electronic waste (E-waste) being generated by the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools in the country.
Maida made this call at the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue with the theme ‘You Can Recycle Anything With A Plug, Battery and Cable’ which recently held in Lagos.
The EVC, who was represented by the Director of the Department of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Dr. Lawal Bello, said that the need for collaboration of industry stakeholders to address the challenge had become imperative given the dynamism in technology economic changes.
According to him, Nigeria stands to benefit more by taking conscious measures to reduce the e-waste generated using ICT Tools and equipment in the country as “this will not only save the country’s expenditure but also less e-waste to manage.”
The industry regulator listed some E-waste benefits and opportunities associated with conscious efforts, as including reduction of Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, energy conservation, and prevention of e-waste from polluting the environment.
In addition, Maida pointed out that “it can also generate value for telcos by reusing, repairing, or reselling hardware and devices.”
He further maintained that the best practices of telcos embracing sustainability would entail that some telcos should launch initiatives to promote recycling and circularity, as UK Vodafone’s internal asset marketplace, which allowed operators to repurpose excess or decommissioned hardware, or its device trade-in programme, which encourages customers to return their old devices for recycling or refurbishment.
Noting that telcos in other climes have set ambitious targets to reduce their carbon footprint and increase their use of renewable energy, the EVC advised Nigerian telecoms operator and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) manufacturers to adopt device trade-in.
He explained that this would help the telcos in the country to reduce E-waste, especially for mobile phones and tablets.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Group Executive Editor of ITREALMS Media and convener of the E-Waste Dialogue, Sir Remmy Nweke, commended the participants and partnering entities like the NCC, Internet Exchange of Nigeria ( IXPN), Domain Name System (DNS) Women Nigeria as well as Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), for their consistency in supporting advocacy campaigns for environment-friendly ICT devices and solutions deployment in the country.
