Africa Under Toxic Pressure: The Bamako Convention and the Fight for Environmental Justice
Posted by EDITORIAL
An Africa-centric feature on the Bamako Convention, hazardous waste, plastic and electronic pollution, and their impact on health, biodiversity, and environmental justice across the continent.
Nairobi Kenya
Key Highlights
- Hazardous waste is part of daily life in Africa, often as “silent hazards.”
- Electronic waste poses the greatest health threat, especially to children.
- Africa faces illegal dumping driven by global waste flows and weak enforcement.
- Strong political will and behavior change can deliver real results.
Also Read: Africa Imports between 70% to Over 90% of its medicines (what this means to investors)
Also Read: The Rise of NCDS in Kenya majorly due to Eating Habits
Hazardous materials are substances that can harm human health or the environment because of their chemical, physical, or radioactive properties. In everyday life, people encounter them more often than they realize: in household cleaning products, pesticides used on farms, batteries, fuels, medical waste, and discarded electronics. Some hazardous materials are clearly labelled with warning symbols that signal danger, such as corrosive, toxic, or flammable substances. Others are silent hazards—they look ordinary, carry no clear labels, yet pose serious risks. Old electronics, poorly sorted plastics, contaminated soils, and industrial residues often fall into this category. Because they are not visibly dangerous, communities may handle, burn, or dump them casually, exposing themselves and their environment to long-term harm without knowing it.
Two of the most visible hazardous waste streams affecting Africa today are plastic waste and electronic waste. Plastics are estimated to account for roughly 13–33 percent of mismanaged waste across parts of the African continent, a figure driven by rapid urbanization, increased consumption, and limited waste collection systems. Much of this plastic enters Africa through imports of packaged goods, second-hand products, and cheap single-use materials, then leaks into rivers, soils, and oceans. Plastics break down into microplastics that contaminate food, water, and air, affecting ecosystems and human health. Electronic waste, however, poses an even greater danger. To a non-scientist, e-waste includes discarded phones, computers, televisions, cables, and batteries. These items contain heavy metals like lead and mercury, as well as toxic chemicals that are far more poisonous per unit than plastic. When burned, dismantled by hand, or dumped in open spaces, e-waste releases toxins that enter the body through breathing, food, and water. Children are the most affected: exposure can interfere with brain development, making learning, memory, and concentration more difficult—a condition known as neurodevelopmental damage. Adults and unborn children face reproductive challenges, including miscarriages, premature births, and stillbirths, while long-term exposure is linked to lung cancer, kidney damage, and permanent brain injury.
Beyond plastics and e-waste lies radioactive waste, which includes materials from medical equipment, research facilities, and some industrial processes. People may encounter it indirectly through healthcare services or abandoned equipment. Radioactive waste is extremely difficult to manage, requires high technical capacity, and remains dangerous for long periods. Africa currently lacks sufficient infrastructure to safely treat and dispose of such waste, making strong legal controls essential. This is where the Bamako Convention, signed by 35 African states, becomes critical—committing countries to ban the import of hazardous waste into Africa and manage such waste responsibly within their borders, while urging non-signatory states to join and strengthen continental protection.
To the lay reader, the Bamako Convention is Africa’s legal shield against becoming a dumping ground for dangerous waste. Adopted in 1991, it was a direct response to growing evidence that hazardous waste generated in industrialized countries was being shipped to weaker regulatory environments in Africa. Over the years, the Convention has helped raise awareness, strengthen national laws, and block some illegal waste shipments. Yet concerns remain that much of the hazardous waste found on the continent still originates from the Global North, raising the question: is the Global South being treated as a dumping area? A frequently cited case is the 2004 tsunami in Somalia, where large amounts of waste washed up along the coastline—Africa’s longest. Reports suggested that some of this waste may have been illegally dumped by ships using major shipping routes, later exposed by the tsunami. The Bamako Convention works alongside other global frameworks such as the Minamata Convention, which focuses on reducing mercury pollution and protecting human health and the environment from mercury exposure. These agreements connect with broader science-policy platforms and negotiations, including IPBES, UNEA 7, and the COP processes, which shape global environmental governance and climate action.
Pollution in Africa is not confined to cities alone; it travels through water bodies into remote areas where communities are often least prepared to cope. The Nairobi River, for example, carries industrial, domestic, and plastic waste through multiple streams before discharging into the Indian Ocean, spreading pollution far beyond the city. In remote dumping areas, residents may depend on farming, fishing, or informal recycling for their livelihoods, often without understanding the full health impacts of the waste around them. Access to quality healthcare is limited, making early diagnosis and treatment of pollution-related illnesses difficult. Despite being the most affected, these communities rarely have a voice in global negotiations like UNEA and COP. When they are present, their participation is often limited, under-resourced, and overshadowed by more powerful actors. A major gap identified is that much of the hazardous waste entering Africa does so disguised as imports—second-hand electronics, plastic goods, or recyclable materials—making regulation and enforcement even more challenging.
During the dialogue on the Bamako Convention Regional Clearing-House Mechanism, participants emphasized that solutions must go beyond technology to address human behavior. Stronger policies, clear standards, and real consequences for non-compliance are essential. Rwanda’s successful ban on single-use plastics was highlighted as a powerful example. Through strict enforcement, public education, and political commitment, Rwanda transformed behavior, resulting in cleaner cities, healthier ecosystems, and a culture of environmental responsibility among its citizens. Another critical solution discussed was the need for political will—without committed leadership, even the strongest conventions remain words on paper. For Africa, aligning environmental protection with public health, biodiversity conservation, and continental advocacy is not optional; it is a necessity for safeguarding current and future generations.
Share a story to factieglobal@gmail.com
or
Editor@jlcnews.com
Photo credits of Cover Photo: UNEP
