Kenya to host first E-Waste innovation summit

Kenya will host its first Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Innovation Summit from September 16–18, 2025, at Strathmore Business School in Nairobi.

The event is part of the Kenyan-German GreenTech Innovation Program on WEEE (2024–2025), funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUKN) and implemented by AHK Services Eastern Africa Ltd.

It aims to strengthen Kenya’s e-waste sector through research, innovation, and knowledge-sharing.

The summit will open with showcases on informal sector models and lithium-ion battery reuse, followed by pitches from Kenyan and German WEEE companies.

A highlight of the event will be the announcement of the winner of a competition among Kenyan recyclers for the use of a German recycling machine.

The second and third days will feature invite-only workshops on WEEE collection, business models, SME capacity-building, and recycling technologies.

Kenya generates about 80,000 tons of e-waste annually, yet only two licensed facilities recycle a fraction of this. Most is managed informally or disposed of unsafely.

The country became the first in East Africa to gazette Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations in November 2024, making producers responsible for the entire life cycle of their products.

This policy is expected to expand take-back schemes, boost investments, and strengthen Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs).

Christian Engels, General Manager of AHK Services Eastern Africa Ltd, emphasized the importance of collaboration: “E-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in Kenya, and tackling it requires international partnerships and close collaboration between private sector players and the government.

Through our program, we are linking German know-how and EPR experience with Kenyan innovation. Together with our partners, we are transforming regulatory changes into practical solutions that support companies across the e-waste value chain and promote circularity and sustainability.”

Speakers will include Alexander Fierley, Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy Nairobi, Dr. Ayub Macharia, Director at NEMA, Zilpher Owiti, Ag. CEO at the ICT Authority, Lea von Bressensdorf, Co-Project Lead at the Chambers for GreenTech, DIHK Service GmbH, and Engels himself.

The program has already delivered a baseline study on e-waste flows, supported the Electronic Producer Responsibility Organization of Kenya (EPROK), and facilitated expert exchanges between German companies and Kenyan stakeholders.