Nigeria: Europe's Electronic Junkyard

2016-12-20

Thousands of tons of used electronics and illegal e-waste are imported into Nigeria annually. High demand for used European electronics, inefficient regulation, and a local lack of recycling facilities form a growing hazard.

A team of journalists from Nigeria, Norway and Denmark has traced the e-waste’s route through Nigeria’s informal sector of importers, scavengers, and repairers to hazardous dismantlers and sub-standard recyclers. While e-waste dump Agbogbloshie of Ghana has been in the media spotlight for years, Nigeria’s e-waste problem is overlooked despite its fivefold larger scale.

The investigation also took the team to buying and shipping points in Germany and revealed how loopholes in European law enforcement allow illegal shipments of e-waste to take place. Used electronics serve as valuable IT to Africa’s largest population. But once they reach their end of life, a lack of responsibility for their disposal forms a serious hazard.

This investigation was funded through Journalismfund.eu's Connecting Continents programme.

Ida Eri Sorbye

Ida Eri Sorbye is a Norwegian freelance journalist. She has an MA in journalism from Aarhus University and the University of Amsterdam, and has previously worked as an outdoor journalist and book publisher.

Idris Akinbajo

Idris Akinbajo is a Nigerian award winning investigative journalist. He holds an Erasmus Mundus Masters in Journalism, Media and Globalisation from Aarhus University and the University of Amsterdam. He is currently the Managing Editor of Premium Times, Nigeria's leading online newspaper.

Freja C. Eriksen

Freja C. Eriksen is a Danish freelance journalist. She has previously worked as sub-editor at Mediehuset DenOffentlige and co-founded an independent global podcast. She receives her master’s degree in Journalism, Media and Globalisation from Aarhus University and Hamburg University in January 2017.

Marthe Vee

Marthe Vee is a Norwegian freelance journalist currently based in London. She holds an MA in Journalism, Media and Globalisation, and has previously worked for a regional newspaper in the West of Norway covering societal issues and cultural news.