Making the Digital Economy Circular: End-of-Life Treatment of Digital Products and Their Implications for Sustainable Management of E-Waste in African Cities

The rapid transformation and modernization of African cities have resulted in the gradual but solid deployment and consumption of digital products for various purposes. While the integration of digital technologies and products in urban life is essential for tackling numerous socio-spatial and economic challenges of African urbanization, their end-of-life treatment, exemplified by a “throwaway culture” at electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) sites, is counter-productive to the smart urbanism discourse on sustainability transitions. This chapter draws on secondary data, such as scholarly papers, reports, and other grey literature, to identify cases of local e-waste management in African cities. It inductively analyzes how these management practices intersect with the principles of the circular economy from a synergistic perspective. This synthesis of e-waste management—circularity synergies is analyzed to provide pathways for positioning the emerging digital culture and economy in Africa for a circular and environmentally sustainable future. This chapter demonstrates that circular economy practices, such as the reuse, recycling, and repurposing of digital products, are gradually emerging through local enterprises and e-commerce platforms. This chapter concludes that leveraging such practices through institutional and regulatory support, capacity building, and the integration of local initiatives can promote circularity in e-waste management in African cities.