South African mobile giant MTN and Germany's sustainable development organization, GIZ, have inked an agreement that partners the two for a pilot project to manage the safe disposal of electronic waste. The deal also aims to encourage companies to develop their own e-waste management. South Africa will be the first destination on the project, which will focus on educating the public about such waste. According to a statement from the companies, “it is a matter of human health and environmental concern, and the value of recycling and responsible disposal” will be aimed during the initial stages. They hope that if successful, the management project would then be implemented in Nigera, where MTN is the largest mobile operator. “The partnership seeks to raise awareness among the general public and corporate businesses about the safe recycling, management and disposal of e-waste and provide support to fledgling small and medium sized companies,” the statement said. GIZ will undertake a situation analysis, develop standards and disposal protocol for the pilot project and undertake a multi-stakeholder engagement process, the company said. It also seeks to improve on the “green” job market in Africa through its initial hiring process and educational training. BM
