Study of Mercury-containing lamp waste management in Sub-Saharan Africa

1.3Objectives of the study

With regard to the development of CFLs and their large-scale deployment in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the main objectives of the study were:

To provide the World Bank with a sound assessment of the health risks raised by CFL distribution programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, based on a generic risk assessment to human health and a coherent estimation of the CFL market in SSA (current and projected);

To provide the World Bank with a range of options for the management of end-of-life CFLs in Sub-Sahara Africa that can be used as a toolkit to easily identify the best management options, taking into account national contexts, potential health risks and technical and financial feasibility. This was based on a study of possible scenarios for the management of End-of-Life (EoL) Mercury-Containing Lamps (MCLs) in SSA, with elements for the evaluation of their relevance based on their feasibility and on their impact in terms of risk mitigation.

2The CFL market

The market study aims to provide an overview of the market for mercury-containing lamps (MCL) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and thus estimate the potential annual flow of end-of-life (EoL) MCL. The annual flow, defined country by country, is an input parameter for the risk assessment as it defines the quantity of mercury potentially released to the environment. How this annual flow evolves within the next decade is also an important matter, as it provides figures at a timescale that is consistent with the development of waste treatment schemes.

The market study results are presented country by country, with a final compilation to provide total SSA figures for the 2009 – 2020 period. As there is very little reliable information on lamp volumes and electrification trends in SSA, we defined ranges of values rather than exact values, thus providing a low value and a high value for each country and for the whole region.

The current market was studied first, based on web research and on data and documents provided by the World Bank. Evolution parameters to be considered at national levels were then defined through interviews with World Bank representatives. These parameters and their evolution were collected from African Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD) documents, and used for market forecasting. Consistency was checked with planned CFL distribution programs and through interviews with World Bank representatives.

2.1Current SSA CFL market

2.1.1Key figures

The size of the market is directly dependent on the electrification rate, which is still low in SSA⁷. A handful of countries accounts for most of the regional CFL market (a further volume estimation is provided in section 2.3).

South African and Nigerian markets are estimated to account for up to 50% of the SSA market

The Nigerian Government estimates that Nigeria will need a total of 50 million CFLs in the next few years (2009-2012).⁸

16% of SSA population has access to an electricity grid, equivalent to 130 million individuals.⁹

As a comparison, 400 million CFLs were sold on the Chinese market in 2006.¹⁰

Information on quality and manufacturing origin is not available at the national level for SSA countries, except for South Africa, for which Philips and Osram together account for more than half of the market. The only manufacturing plant identified in the region (SSA) was established in Lesotho by Philips; production should reach 15 million CFLs/year and will primarily supply the South African market.

Figure (Source: Frost & Sullivan): Breakdown of CFL manufacturers in South Africa

2.1.2CFL distribution programs in Africa

Around 20 million CFLs were distributed in SSA in the past 4 years through different promotional programs (i.e. excluding voluntary practice). For the future, 62 million CFLs are planned to be distributed in the next 3 years by governmental or international programs.

Country	Number of CFLs	Financing source	Distribution period
Rwanda	0.8 million	World Bank	2009
South Africa	18 million	GEF-Eskom	2004-2008
Southern Africa^11	40 million	Electricity Companies	2010-2012
Senegal	1.5 million	World Bank, AFD	2009
Senegal	3.5 million	SENELEC	2009-2011
Ethiopia	11.3 million	Word Bank	2008-2011
Mali	1 million	World Bank	2009-2014
Benin	0.35 million	GEF-World Bank	2009-2012
Uganda	0.8 million	World Bank	2008
Nigeria	1 million	Nigeria Gov.	2009-2012?
Togo	0.4 million	GEF-CEET	2009-2012
Ghana	4 million/year	CDM-ONU	2009
Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania	7.5 million	GEF-UNEP UN-HABITAT	2009-2014

Table : CFL distribution programs in SSA identified during interviews and documentary review

Except for the Eskom initiative in South Africa, the main CFL distribution network in SSA is made up of publicly financed distribution schemes, either by national utilities or under programs financed by IFIs. These programs use high quality standards, so we can assume that most of the African CFLs are High Quality CFLs with a lifespan of 3 or 4 years¹² or higher: for example, the World Bank is promoting CFLs with a 7-8 year lifespan.

The list of national CFL distribution programs presented above does not allow an exact quantification of all CFLs available on the market and their distribution timelines, which are key to the volumes of waste that will emerge at the end of the value chain. Therefore, another approach to market volume estimation has been preferred based on market drivers.