Officials of the Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority (GPHA) have undertaken a week study visit on electronic waste (e-waste) shipment control and enforcement in The Netherlands. The study visit organized by the Ports Environmental Network – Africa (PENAf), an environmental NGO with an interest in environmental performance in African ports, in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment had the aim of giving the officials insight into how e-waste shipment is controlled in the Dutch ports as well as managed in The Netherlands. It was held as part of activities under PENAf’s African Ports Environment Initiative (APEI), to build capacities of African ports in the detection, inspection and handling of illegal electronic and hazardous wastes shipments under the guise of second-hand goods. Participants included Mrs. Matilda Langlah, a representing the Board of Directors, Mr. A. Y. Jim-Fugar, General Manager for Estates and Environment, Mr. Jacob Hyde-Cooper, Estates and Environment Manager for Takoradi Port, and Mr. Justice Lionel Eshun, Director for Tringo-Plus, a private waste company with the Port of Tema. They visited Europe’s largest port, the Port of Rotterdam, where about 50% of wastes exported from Europe pass through, and were taken through waste shipment tracking and control procedures by customs as well as operations of the customs laboratory where chemical composition analysis are carried out to generate chemical information on products. They familiarized themselves with Dutch environmental collaboration procedures and partners through meetings and discussions with the Inspectorate of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, and the Dutch Association of Producers and Importers. They also visited some e-waste processing and recycling plants where they were exposed to the Dutch e-waste recycling scheme. The generation of e-waste is alarmingly on the rise as a result of rapid technological advancement and frequent replacement of used electrical and electronic productsin especiallythe advanced societies. Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), also known as e-waste is considered fastest growing hazardous waste stream in the worldwith about 50 million metric tonnes being generated globally every year. E-waste contains valuable materials as well as toxic components and need to be managed in an environmentally sound manner. However, owing to stringent environmental regulations and high cost of treatment and disposal in the developed world, they are being illegally exported in contravention to the Basel Convention to developing societies, leaving them with serious challenges on how to handle and manage them as they lack the needed capacity. They are disposed off at open municipal dumpsites and thereby not only compounding the domestic waste problem in developing societies but also endangering public health as scavengers and collectors apply environmentally risky methods to retrieve valuable materials from them. E-waste shippers often mislead enforcement authorities by mislabeling these hazardous wastes as second-hand electronics, pretending they are for re-use, or by hiding them among other acceptable goods in the middle of a container. African countries, particularly West African states have become vulnerable to e-waste dumping because of weak environmental regulations and low level of public awareness of the high environmental and health risks of its unsound management. Though party to the global transboudary environmental treaty on waste shipment, the Basel Convention, Ghana like many other African countries is yet to domesticate the Basel Convention into national laws. The non-existence of national e-waste legislation makes it difficult for regulatory control of e-waste dumping in Ghana. Distinguishing between Used Electrical and Electronic Equipment and (UEEE) and e-waste has always been a major problem for regulators at the ports and borders. Addressing participants, the Executive Coordinator of PENAf, Mr. Harry Barnes-Dabban indicated that his organization will continue to increase its efforts in raising awareness on e-waste, promote development of national legislations and its enforcement to comply with international regulations, and also offer support to African port actors to build their capacity for detection, control and prevention of illegal hazardous waste shipments to Africa. Domestication and enforcement of Basel Convention is key to controlling illegal waste traffic. It is important for enforcers to be knowledgeable in enforcing the law. Used electrical and electronic equipment arriving at our ports must be functional. They should be tested with documentary evidence prior to export. Participants in their wrap up discussions at the end of the visit acknowledged that tackling illegal shipments require information sharing and feedback. Enforcement collaboration and communication at the national and international levels is essential inaddressing the flow of e-wastes. They reckoned that to facilitate prevention of the e-waste trade through sea ports, there was the need for co-operation among all related actors; GPHA,, terminal operators, customs, environmental protection agency, standards board, security agencies, shipping lines, shippers authority, importers and exporters, freight forwarders and clearing agents, as well as consumer associations.As a sequel to this, a Stakeholders Awareness Workshop is to be organized through a collaborative arrangement between GPHA, PENAf and EPA. Support for e-waste management in Ghana has to follow a holistic approach. Consumer education is essential.Waste generators must be made to take responsibility for their wastes and minimize the generation of hazardous wastes through clean production technologies and methods. Appropriate and implementable e-waste collection systems should be established in the country to cater for domestically generated e-wastes. Informal collection and manual dismantling activities could be included in a formalized e-waste management framework with a reward for good collection and recycling behaviour. Whiles calling on proactive measures to be taken towards addressing the issue of e-waste, Mr. Harry Barnes-Dabban stated that “Governments alone cannot be relied on in tackling environmental issues including hazardous e-wastes. Civil Society Organizations should be drivers of the agenda with both government and private sector collaboration”.