Contact: Reyna Ubeda​

Introduction
The International Telecommunication Union, at the kind invitation of the Nigerian Communications Commission​, is organizing the ITU Training on "E-waste Management & Circular Economy" which will take place from 0900 to 1100 hours on 30 August 2019 in Abuja, Nigeria.

Technological innovation, rapid urbanization, and economic development are contributing to the growing number of e-waste. In many urban households, more than one ICT device per person is becoming the norm and the life cycle of ICT equipment is becoming shorter as newer ICT products are coming out faster and more frequent. It is estimated that 48.5 million tonnes of e-waste were generated in 2018 with only 20% were appropriately dealt with. It is expected that the number of e-waste will go up to 52.2 million tonnes in 2021. This calls for a new approach to e-waste management, one that emphasizes on retaining the values of the entire supply chain of ICT equipment.

This Training will take place within the framework of the 1st Digital African Week​.

Objective
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has been working to develop international standards and technical policy guidance on managing e-waste sustainably and encouraging the transition to a circular economy. This Training aims to provide an overview of these international standards and technical policy guidance and how policymakers and urban stakeholders can take advantages of them to achieve different SDGs. It will also provide a platform for stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities, sharing experiences and best practices including policies and standards aimed at increasing recycling of e-waste and other circular actions.

Target Audience
​The Training will bring together leading specialists in the field, from engineers, designers, policy-makers, government officials, regulators, academia, industry and standards experts.