Build Nigeria's E-Waste Circular Economy

Agbogbloshie in Ghana has become the world's symbol of Africa's e-waste crisis. Nigeria has multiple Agbogbloshies in the making — informal e-waste dumps in Lagos, Kano, and Onitsha where children dismantle circuit boards over open fires to extract metals. The hazardous materials — lead, mercury, cadmium — leach into groundwater and soil for decades. Nigeria's extended producer responsibility regulations exist on paper but are largely unenforced. Your challenge is to design an e-waste collection and processing system for Nigeria that is economically self-sustaining, creates formal employment, and safely processes at least 50,000 tonnes per year within five years. The model must work within Nigeria's existing regulatory framework and provide a business case for electronics importers to participate in funding it. Submit a system design and business model document (max 12 pages) including: collection network design, processing technology, revenue streams from recovered materials, how electronics importers are engaged, employment creation model, and environmental impact quantification. Judging criteria: 35% economic sustainability of the model, 30% environmental impact, 20% importer engagement design, 15% employment model.