Macra says Malawi’s E-waste Policy in final stages
Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) says E-waste Policy will help to curb unsafe handling and management of used electronics.
Macra director of telecomumunications Edward Kauka said in Lilongwe last week during the validation workshop that the policy is critical to the management of electronic waste in the country.
He said the policy gives the public and private stakeholders an opportunity to provide final inputs into the policy and to ensure its validation.
“We are presenting the findings from the national study on the collection of data on e-waste generation and flows and participants are provided with a clear understanding of the next steps of the policy approval and the implementation of its action plan,” said Kauka.
Environmental Affairs Department deputy director Victoria Kachimera said the policy will complement efforts they are undertaking to address the socio-economic impact of the environmental challenges.
‘This will provide a basis for the country to strengthen the management and regulation of e-waste while at the same time encouraging re-use of the valuable components of e-waste,” she said.
International Telecommunications Union programme officer Anne Rita Ssemboga commended Malawi for being among few countries in Africa to develop the E-waste Policy.
The policy will include the establishment of E-Management Fund, reviewing and amending of the relevant laws to address gaps and overwraps and infrastructure development as the country has no proper management facilities to deal with e-waste.
