The concept of generously donating used to computers to developing countries may have a flip side according to the article, " Digital Divide Becomes a Digital Dump."
The Theory
Exporting computers taken out of service from advanced nations to developing countries is a growth business. If the hardware still works or is worth being repaired, both sides can benefit from the transaction. Manufacturers and consumers in rich countries get rid of their old computers and even make some money. The new users in Africa, Asia and Latin America, in turn, acquire urgently needed hard and software at a low price.The Practice
In practice, this business is often no more than a convenient form of waste disposal for rich countries. According to a study by the environmental organisation Basel Action Network (BAN), a large proportion of the exported equipment is worthless scrap, which ends up on informal rubbish dumps in poor countries in spite of being harmful to people and the environment.
Nigerian example Each month, some 400,000 old computers and monitors arrive in Nigeria, where BAN conducted research. According to the Nigerian Computer Dealers’ Association, up to 75 per cent of these computers can no longer be used and are beyond repair. ‘While supposedly closing the “digital divide”, we are really starting a “digital dump”,’ the BAN study sums up.**
**Original source:D+C (Development and Cooperation) magazine, Vol. 32, December 2005.