Socio-economic assessment and feasibility study on - Öko-Institut eV

<strong>Socio</strong>-<strong>economic</strong> <strong>assessment</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>feasibility</strong> <strong>study</strong>
on sustainable e-waste management in Ghana
August 2010
campaigns from the members of the Ga community urging the Ghanaian government to evict
the people currently living in Agbogbloshie (Du Plessis 2005; COHRE 2004).
3.3.4 Community engagement
Mechanisms for the participation of local communities in terms of being informed about the
consequences of refurbishing <strong>and</strong> e-waste recycling activities, <strong>and</strong> possibly influence
decisions to be made which may affect the local environment, human health <strong>and</strong> well-being,
are not in place. In Agbogbloshie scrap yard, a Scrap Dealer Association does exist, but it
represents only the interests of its members, <strong>and</strong> was not found to approach neighbouring
communities for a dialogue. Similarly, GESTA, the Repairers Association, was not found to
be involved in community engagement mechanisms.
3.3.5 <strong>Socio</strong>-<strong>economic</strong> opportunities
As described in the sections “Remuneration” <strong>and</strong> “Job satisfaction” <strong>and</strong> later in section
“Employment creation”, the great dem<strong>and</strong> for low-skilled workers in the informal e-waste
recycling industry in Ghana have opened up employment opportunities not only for workers
from the north of Ghana, but also for other inhabitants of Agbogbloshie. While the quality of
jobs is doubtful in most of the cases, primarily due to health <strong>and</strong> environmental concerns,
these employment opportunities offer alternatives to agricultural work or widespread rural
employment. According to the Food <strong>and</strong> Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), low productivity <strong>and</strong> poorly functioning markets for agricultural outputs are major
causes of rural poverty in Ghana (FAO 2010). Comparatively, engaging in the e-waste
recycling sector, workers have regular access to cash because of high dem<strong>and</strong> of recovered
materials, nationally 19 <strong>and</strong> internationally 20,21 <strong>and</strong> sufficient availability of e-waste inputs.
Although fluctuation in international resource prices make workers of the e-waste recycling
industry vulnerable in terms of <strong>economic</strong> stability, they have been found to prefer this sector
over traditional modes of livelihoods, like agriculture. Moreover, engaging in e-waste
recycling sector keeps them out of fear of urban unemployment. Importantly, many workers
19
See chapter 4.
20
According to the European Aluminium Association (EAA) <strong>and</strong> the Organization of European Aluminium
Refiners <strong>and</strong> Remelters (OEA), in 2004, approximately 11.4 million tons of aluminium were used for the
production of fabricated goods in the EU. Primary aluminium production in the EU currently amounts to just 3
million tons. This in fact means that, without aluminium recycling, the EU would have to import about 8.4
million tons of primary <strong>and</strong> recycled aluminium to meet requirements. Primary aluminium production in the rest
of Europe yields a further 2.2 million tons so, even if this figure were added to the equation, the EU would still
depend considerably on aluminium imports. This dependence is substantially alleviated, however, by the
recycling of aluminium (EAA/OEA 2010).
21
According to the International Copper Study Group (ICSG), the world refinery capacity utilization (primary <strong>and</strong>
secondary refined production) for copper was about 81.1% in 2008, which actually implies that world copper
refinery capacity still has some unfulfilled potential.
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