THE World Bank has pledged to fund Tanzania's upcoming electronic waste management project, following implementation of a five-year mercury control project, set to be concluded late next year.

Jane Kibbassa, senior environmental specialist at the bank’s country mission, affirmed this commitment at a meeting focused on mercury control and electronic waste management in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) housed at the global lender, is overseeing a mercury control initiative across Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, and Ghana, where Tanzania is credited with having made notable progress in mercury control.

This has positioned the country to be lined up for an electronic waste management project, already granted to other countries, she stated, elaborating that while the four others received funds for both mercury and electronic wastes. Tanzania focused first on mercury control. Finding for its electronic waste project can now proceed, she stated.

Underlining that electronic waste is an escalating global issue, she stressed the urgency for countries to take action to safeguard the environment, human health and wildlife.

For the mercury control project, the lender selected countries prepared to implement specific controls and the five countries are finishing up their projects next year.

Global 2023 data shows that approximately 62,000 tons of electronic waste remain unmanaged worldwide, with 20 percent being disposed of safely without impacting human or environmental health, she said.

“In Tanzania, many dumping sites lack waste separation systems, leading to harmful waste accumulation. When burned, this mixed waste poses significant health hazards,” she specified.

International collaboration and engaging electronic device manufacturers, encouraging them to take responsibility for the end-of-life management of their products to reduce environmental harm is entailed in the project, she stated.

Lilian Lukambuzi, the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) acting director general, acknowledged that NEMC has prepared a proposal for funding an electronic waste project.

Increased electronic device usage driven by population growth is intensifying the need for effective waste management solutions, she stated, noting that Tanzania updated its environmental policy in 2007 and in 2021, introducing an electronic waste management aspect.

“In 2021, we also enacted regulations specifically for electronic waste control, equipping us with policies and frameworks to address this critical issue,” she added.