The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida has cautioned experts in the
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to reduce the electronic waste generated by the use of the ICT) tools in the country.
Dr. Maida, who spoke at the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue in Lagos recently said that the dynamism in technology economic changes has made it imperative to call for the reduction in waste.
The NCC boss was represented by a Director at NCC from the Department of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Dr. Lawal Bello at the Dialogue, themed: “You can recycle anything with a plug, battery, and cable,”
Dr. Maida stressed that Nigeria will benefit more by taking conscious measures to reduce the e-waste generated using ICT Tools and equipment in the country.
“This will not only save the country’s expenditure but also less e-waste to manage.”
He listed some E-Waste benefits and opportunities associated with conscious efforts, saying that the environmental and economic benefits of recycling telecom equipment abound.
He said that recycling telecom equipment can reduce Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, save energy, and prevent e-waste from polluting the environment.
“It can also generate value for telcos by reusing, repairing, or reselling hardware and devices.”
Dr. Maida said 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 allows 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.
Dr. Maida said that other telcos have set ambitious targets to reduce their carbon footprint and increase their use of renewable energy.
He advised Nigerian telecoms operators and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) manufacturers to adopt device trade-in.
According to him, such would be nudged to adopt similar ideas on device trade-in programs to reduce E-waste in the country 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, acknowledged the 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), Nigeria IT Reporters Association (NITRA), Waste Managers of Nigeria and E-waste Producer Responsibility Organisation of Nigeria (EPRON) for their consistency in supporting the advocacy.
He stressed the need to positively dispose the mobile devices for the sake of the future and environment.
