Adopting a common sub-regional regulation was one of the recommendations made at the end of the Interpol three-day meeting on Thursday, April 17, 2014.
Obsolete electrical and electronic equipment also known as e-waste continues to stream in some African countries unregulated. To curb the influx of such equipment into the Central African sub-region, and to better manage e-waste to minimise hazardous effects on living things and the environment as well, Interpol emerged with a set of recommendations during a three-day brainstorming in Yaounde.
The resolve to adopt a common environmental policy and a sub-regional regulation on the importation and treatment of e-waste was paramount. The workshop participants said that countries without laws regulating the entry of such equipment should make them while those with existing regulations should apply them to the letter.
Since Cameroon has existing regulations on the importation of electronic equipment and the management of e-waste, William Lemnyuy, Chief of Service for Toxic and Hazardous Waste in the Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development said Interpol and the Judicial Police Officers will assist in efforts to curb the rising phenomenon. They will track down illicit equipment and arrest importers without technical visas authorising the importation of such equipment.
Since recycling e-waste is one of the disturbing challenges facing the sub-region, the Health, Safety and Environmental Manager of an e-waste collection company dubbed Foncham International Cameroon, Ebai Ayuk Nkem pledge their technical expertise to the body. The company that collects, sort, dismantle, package e-waste and send to their Swedish partner for definite recycling that has so far sent out 32,000 kg in its pilot phase, said they can solicit technology transfer from their Swedish partner for the installation of treatment facilities in the country.
Closing the three-day workshop, Interpol’s Regional Specialised Officer in charge of Environmental Crime, Djibrine Issene said the recommendations if well applied would effectively curb all sort of environmental crimes.
