Africa’s Fight for Hazardous Waste Transparency: Insights from the Bamako CHM Dialogue

By William Abala - Hazardous waste in Africa is more than just a policy issue, it touches daily life. From the plastic containers children use in schools to old vehicles on the road and shipments arriving through ports, hazardous materials are everywhere.

This reality was highlighted during the Bamako Convention Clearing-House Mechanism Dialogue at USIU–Africa. Policymakers, experts, and regional representatives met to confront gaps in enforcement, accountability, and public awareness around hazardous waste governance.

Moderating the discussion, the panel chair posed a question that set the tone:

“Which materials do we use in our households, many of which our children use in schools? How do we know which plastics are single-use, and which should never go in a microwave?”

“Most people simply do not have this information,” the moderator said, emphasizing that reversing environmental damage requires not only controlling pollution but also protecting people from existing harm.

“How do we address the effects already present in society?” the moderator asked, highlighting the need for public information platforms and learning from countries that are making progress.

A production problem at the core

Responding first, Dr. George Serede, Dean of the School of Communication, Culture & Arts (SCCA), pointed to what he described as a fundamental gap holding Africa back.

“The first gap I would highlight is a production gap,” Dr. Serede said.

He asked participants to reflect on something familiar:

“When you look at your breakfast table this morning, what percentage of what you consumed was produced locally in your country?”

Dr. Serede explained that Africa’s dependence on imports makes it difficult to manage hazardous materials and waste.

“As long as a significant portion of what we consume, including something as small as the toothpick you use after eating, is imported, it is very hard to control the narrative,” he said.

He argued that industrialization is unavoidable if Africa is to manage hazardous waste responsibly.

“We have no alternative but to industrialize. As long as we remain net importers, effective control will remain a challenge,” Dr. Serede said.

Dr. George Serede, Dean of the School of Communication, Culture & Arts (SCCA). Photo/JHR

Using Kenya as an example, Dr. Serede highlighted the decline of local manufacturing.

“Cotton was a big thing here, and it is no longer there. The West is dumping clothes in Africa because we want to wear designer brands,” he said.

He explained that second-hand clothing, while often seen as affordable, carries environmental consequences.

“When you say you want to wear Levi’s jeans, and your local retailer offers the same, you say it’s not on brand,” he said.

“That affects our environment because so much of what we consume is imported.”

Vehicles as hazardous imports

Dr. Serede also pointed to the vehicle sector as a major contributor to pollution and waste.

“Almost 99 percent of the vehicles on our roads are old imports from Japan,” he said, questioning how Africa accounts for emissions and waste from these vehicles.

“What percentage of what we drive is manufactured here, so we can check our carbon credits?”

He argued that exporting old vehicles to Africa should carry penalties.

“If Japan sends an eight-year-old vehicle to Kenya, there has to be a penalty,” he said.

“They are dumping that vehicle, not selling it.”

Dr. Serede warned that Africa sits at the end of the waste chain.

“After you use it here, you cannot export it to another country. We are dying slowly because of the depth of the production gap,” he said.

Making data visible

The discussion then shifted to how Africa can strengthen accountability through better information sharing.

Responding to a question on regional coordination, Mr. Omondi Kasidhi, the developer of the RCHM platform under the Bamako Convention Clearing-House Mechanism, explained how the system works.

“What we have on the clearing-house mechanism platform is a one-stop shop for all the data,” Kasidhi said.

Mr. Omondi Kasidhi, RCHM platform developer involved in the Bamako Convention Clearing-House Mechanism. Photo/JHR

He explained that information submitted by countries is publicly accessible.

“If Country X’s data is available, anyone can go online and search for it,” he said.

Mr. Kasidhi also noted that the platform uses technology to make information easier to understand.

“We even employ AI tools,” he said. “You don’t have to sift through the wrong information.”

Transparency, he added, is central to accountability.

“If a country is a member and has not submitted data for the last five years, that gap will also be visible on the platform,” Kasidhi said.

He emphasized that visibility itself creates pressure for compliance:

“The first thing we are doing is making sure data and information are available.”

At the same time, Kasidhi acknowledged the burden that reporting can place on countries.

“We do not want reporting to be so burdensome that countries lack the resources to do it,” he said.

Moving the system online, he explained, is meant to reduce barriers.

“Making it online is our way of making the process easier,” Kasidhi added.

Somalia’s perspective: waste as a security issue

Adding a national perspective, Bushra Ahmed Abdi, Senior Advisor to the Somali Ambassador on UNON, UNEP, and UN-HABITAT, speaking on behalf of the Federal Republic of Somalia, framed hazardous waste governance as a matter of both sovereignty and public safety.

“We are here to discuss more than just policy,” she said. “We are here to discuss the protection of human life and the preservation of our sovereign lands.”

Bushra Ahmed Abdi, Senior advisor to the Somali Ambassador on UNON, UNEP, and UN-HABITAT. Photo/JHR

She said Africa has long been treated as a destination for hazardous waste.

“For too long, the African continent has been treated as a destination for the world’s hazardous remnants,” Bushra said.

For Somalia, chemical safety is closely tied to national stability.

“The sound management of chemicals and the strengthening of waste reporting systems is not merely an environmental goal. It is a cornerstone of our national security, public health, and future prosperity,” she said.

Bushra noted that Somalia has faced the impacts of illegal dumping but is now strengthening its institutions.

“We have moved from policy to practice,” she said, highlighting progress under Somalia’s National Transformation Plan and updated climate commitments.

“Our National Environment Policy is now operational,” she added, noting that Somalia is finalizing legislation to enforce the polluter-pays principle.

On regional cooperation, Bushra confirmed Somalia’s commitment to the Bamako Convention.

“We are in the final stages of the ratification process for the Bamako Convention,” she said, following cabinet approval in May 2022.

She described the convention as essential for protecting African countries.

“The Basel Convention manages the movement of waste. The Bamako Convention protects Africa from it,” she said.

Bushra strongly endorsed the clearing-house mechanism.

“By sharing data and validating waste flows in real time, we can ensure that no shipment of hazardous material enters our territory undetected,” she said.

As the dialogue concluded, a common message emerged: hazardous waste governance in Africa is weakened by dependence on imports, limited public information, and uneven enforcement. 

Yet speakers also highlighted solutions taking shape through transparency, technology, and regional cooperation.

From plastics used in schools to vehicles on the road and waste crossing borders, the conversation at USIU–Africa made one point clear: controlling hazardous waste requires action not only at borders and ports, but also in everyday choices, national systems, and shared African responsibility.

As Bushra put it in her closing remarks:

“Let us build a continent where our progress is measured by the health of our children and the purity of our soil.”