Study shows how Africa is greening digital economy

Africa is on track to create a sustainable digital economy by harnessing its rich mineral resources, expand eco-friendly data centres and improve e-waste management, thus fostering a circular digital economy.

This is according to the ‘2024 Digital economy report’ by the UN Trade and Development launched on July 10, which spotlights the hefty environmental toll of the global digital sector and the uneven burden borne by developing countries.

According to the authors, expediting the digital economy into adopting sustainable practices is important because it “will greatly influence the future of humanity and the health of the planet”.

“Digital transformation is taking place in parallel with growing concerns related to the depletion of raw materials, water stress, climate change, pollution and waste generation, which are all linked to planetary boundaries,” the authors say.

In a statement accompanying the report, Unctad secretary general Rebeca Grynspan says, “We must harness the power of digitalisation to advance inclusive and sustainable development, while mitigating its negative environmental impacts.” 

Firstly, the authors stress the urgent need for sustainable and responsible sourcing of raw materials essential for manufacturing digital technologies like computers and mobile phones.

Africa boasts significant untapped mineral potential that could drive sustainable development. From copper, tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold to lithium, many of the critical minerals found in electronic devices are sourced from the continent.

According to the World Bank, the demand for these minerals necessary for digitalisation, such as graphite, lithium and cobalt, could skyrocket by 500 per cent by 2050.

The report stresses the need for policies that ensure not only reduction in emissions at the mining phase and also ensure equitable distribution of benefits from these resources and the importance of moving up the value chain.

“A just, low-carbon and digital technology transition requires an integrated approach... This extends to the human rights context,” the authors highlight.

“Material resources extraction and processing affect all aspects of the triple planetary crisis. They account for 60 per cent of GHG emissions, over 90 per cent of biodiversity impact and 40 per cent of pollution-related health impacts.”

Emerging trends, such as the growing number of data centres and the increasing volumes of electronic waste, can be effectively addressed to ensure a more sustainable digital economy in Africa.

Africa accounts for less than 1 per cent of the world’s existing data centres, most of which are limited to mainly in South Africa. Others are spurring in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.

The Unctad report sees the booming data centre market as a golden opportunity to build a sustainable green economy. With digital transformation sweeping through developing countries, the demand for data centres is set to soar.

A 2021 report by the The Africa Data Centres Association projects the data centre market in Africa will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12 per cent between 2019 and 2025.

“This is happening despite challenging climate conditions, limited availability of renewable energy, water scarcity, connectivity constraints and power outages,” the report says.

There is already a growing expansion of green data centres, such as Google and Amazon Web Services’ green data centre in Nairobi, which was launched in 2023. It was marked as the country’s first green data centre powered by geothermal energy.

Also, the Distributed Power Africa, a unit of the Zimbabwe telecommunications firm Econet, is overseeing the integration of alternative energy solutions into its data centres in Burundi, Kenya and South Africa.

“There is an opportunity for data centre operators in Africa to spearhead a global drive to include water source and use metrics in their reporting and promote the wider use of water recycling in data facilities,” the authors add.

However, with rapid digitisation, e-waste management is a growing threat in most countries on the continent. Ongoing e-waste management efforts and cycling efforts create the hope to accelerate the sector’s sustainability.

The UN estimates that digital-related waste has increased by 30 per cent from 8.1 million tons to 10.5 million tonnes between 2010 and 2022. The growth was highest in developing countries, 48 per cent compared to 11 per cent in developing countries.

There are, however, ongoing efforts to increase reuse with a large part of digitalisation-related waste being handled in informal settings, particularly in developing countries. The report highlights that Africa's repair and refurbishment sector is well-organised, particularly in Ghana and Nigeria.

In Nairobi, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Centre (WEEE Center) is another example of facilities that are effectively promoting the reuse, recycling and safe disposal of e-waste.

With more than 100 drop-off points across the country, the centre has recycled more than 12,000 tonnes of e-waste and employed more than 1,000 young people, Tom Musili, the facility’s co-founder, says.

“The centre does safe disposal of electronic wastes, secure data destruction, comprehensive training and awareness among other relative functions,” he said in a 2023 interview with bird story agency.

According to the report, “Such activities contribute to reducing poverty and digital divide.”