As many countries in Africa embrace the latest technology—smartphones, computers, and other electronic gadgets—few have developed national strategies for managing the resulting e-waste. E-waste may include electrical and electronic assemblies, scrap, and batteries. Some contains hazardous materials such as cadmium, mercury, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyl. Uganda is one of several nations working to establish a coherent e-waste policy and looking to neighboring Rwanda for lessons in how to develop and implement it.
Callist Tindimugaya, a hydrologist and commissioner for water resources planning and regulation in Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment, agreed. “Many people use mobile phones and computers. Such gadgets are being changed without the proper disposal of the old ones.” In Uganda, this e-waste ends up in landfills. “We do not have a [specific] landfill for e-waste and do not know how to manage it. Old electronic equipment contains toxic materials, and some of them are persistent organic pollutants,” said Naomi Namara Karekaho, a development communicator and educator with Uganda’s National Environment Management Authority.
As Uganda grapples with e-waste, neighboring Rwanda has already invested in addressing the problem. Olivier Mbera, country general manager of EnviroServe Rwanda, explained how Rwanda approached the creation of its e-waste policy. First, the country conducted an initial inventory to assess the e-waste situation and develop a legal framework for what was needed to address it. The framework is still relied on, even though the recycling plant is now operational.
Source: EOS
Global site 
Finnish site