17 October 2026
The African Development Bank Group joined with Governments and development partners in Manila on 7 October 2026 to launch the Global Electronics Management (GEM) Program, a $60 million initiative to advance the circular economy for electronics across 16 countries, including nine in Africa.
GEM unites governments, international organisations, the private sector and civil society to promote sustainable electronics value chains by supporting action across the electronics lifecycle, including resource-efficient production and longer product lifespans to repair, reuse, collection, recovery and environmentally sound recycling. The programme also helps strengthen policies, regulations, financing and technology adoption to create an enabling environment for circular electronics solutions.
It is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in partnership with the African Development Bank Group, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Phase one will be implemented in Botswana, Djibouti, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia and South Africa, as well as Cambodia, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Peru, the Philippines, Turkey and Viet Nam.
The countries were selected through two regional projects: Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia under a Horn of Africa project implemented by the Bank Group; and Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa under a Southern Africa/SADC project implemented by UNEP.
In 2022, countries around the world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste, of which only 22.3% was formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner. That figure is projected to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030.
A core feature of the programme is its multi-stakeholder approach, connecting governments, businesses, civil society organisations, financial institutions, technical and research organisations, standards bodies and recyclers. Through the GEM Knowledge Platform and global coordination mechanisms, participating countries will be able to exchange knowledge, share practical solutions and scale successful approaches.
Smail Alhilali, Director, Circular Economy and Green Industry Division, UNIDO, said:
“The transition to circular electronics requires systemic action that brings together countries, industry, finance, technology and knowledge. Through GEM, UNIDO is committed to driving this partnership towards scalable approaches that embed circularity across the electronics value chain.
By combining our expertise with the strengths of our partners and participating countries, we can create the conditions for innovation and investment to accelerate a more circular, sustainable, inclusive and resilient electronics sector.”
Commenting, Claude Gascon, GEF’s Director of Strategy and Operations, said:
“The scale and complexity of the environmental challenges associated with electronics call for more than isolated interventions. GEM reflects the GEF’s commitment to integrated programming: bringing countries, institutions and partners together to address hazardous chemicals, resource use and waste as interconnected challenges, while creating the conditions for solutions to be scaled across markets and regions.
By combining country ownership with global collaboration, GEM can translate investment into lasting systemic change and generate global environmental benefits well beyond individual projects.”
For her part, Henriette Christensen, Senior ICT Specialist at the African Development Bank, said:
“For the African Development Bank, GEM represents an opportunity to ensure that digital transformation and environmental sustainability advance together.
Through the Horn of Africa initiative, we aim to strengthen policies, support market development and create the foundation for future investment in circular electronics solutions that generate jobs, recover valuable resources and support resilient digital economies.”
Source: https://shorturl.at/Hopbx
