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Recycled computers have their place - they're great for those with limited means to access ICT. Yet they can often be more harm than help, especially when they're dumped as e-waste or retard local hardware innovation and sales.

Second hand computers for sale

Which is why it seems that Uganda is having so much difficulty banning used computers. They came out with a blanket ban on second-hand PC's last year, with a deadline moved back to March 31, 2010.

Now State Minister for Trade Tourism and Industry Gagawala Wambuzi told The EastAfrican that Uganda is adopting a more targeted approach.

Hopefully this means they'll be looking at the quality and usage model for used electronics - allowing in technology that's actually current and meant for resale, and banning e-dumping.

TechMasai deleted republished this post, but I think its still worthy, so I'm republishing it here. Be sure to also check out the original.

The Negative Effects of All The Used Exported PCs From Europe Which Are Coming To Africa

Used computers from Europe, or from African corporate companies are what Africans have and are starting to use as a way to get on the technological bandwagon. It is not totally clear how old used computers get to Africa, but what is clear is that they are here to stay.

The general consensus is computers are either transported by European officials to Africa to get dumped, or they are imported conscious by a middleman to sell back home.

Once in Africa, the PCs are sold through normal distribution models to the public, at a tenth of the price of a new model. The most prevalent models of CPUs support windows 1995 to Windows XP. The computer monitors most popular is the big screen retro one made famous by windows 1995.

The use of antique computers is not the best solution but is extremely practical. In a population where the average GDP is about 100 dollars, cheap affordable computing is a definitive plus. This is not to say they are no consequences to cheap computers in Africa.

The availability of cheap imported computers in effect strangle a location population of innovators and developers from trying to develop hardware solutions and products to cater for their very own local market. The flood of cheap old laptops gives revenue to the people who sell them to us, but actually hinder innovation and growth in our countries by taking away market share.

In the short term old laptops being sold in Africa have advantages, like

* Cheap affordable hardware to a growing computer literate population
* Revenue and employment to those who work in the industry
* Growing computer proficiency for the local population

In the long term though Africa faces the greatest threat to innovation and development. The continued presence of old reused computers is practical in the short term, but if Africa ever wants to develop our own hardware and provide electronic solutions to a world market, eventually the market will have to be closely monitored.

This article ignored the environmental pollution caused by old reused laptops dumped in Africa. For that is the embedded video