Agbogbloshie, located in the heart of Accra, the capital of Ghana, is the largest e-waste dump in Africa and one of the most polluted places in the world.
Its surface is entirely covered with old electronic devices that arrived here by container. These devices are labeled as "second-hand consumer products," but are generally not reusable and consequently burned, except for the most valuable parts.
The Old Fadama slum sits alongside the landfill. At first in was a temporary settlement for the "Guinea Fowl War" (or "Konkomba-Nanumba War") refugees, a conflict that arose in 1994 from tribal claims over land ownership in northern Ghana and was fought by the Konkomba against the Nanumba, Dagomba and Gonja tribes.
Over the years, the settlement of Old Fadama has gradually expanded to accommodate more than 40,000 people. Estimates are rough because many of them, coming from rural Ghana and other countries such as Niger, Mali and Côte d'Ivoire, are not counted. The primary motive that drove and still drives these people to settle in the Old Fadama slum is the search for better living conditions, since Accra is the capital of one of the most developed countries on the African continent. Many, however, find themselves working in the nearby garbage dump for a few euros a month, with severe consequences for their health.
The area over time has become a hiding place for robbers, drug dealers, illegal gun sellers and prostitution, this is because it is a place where state authority fails to exercise control.
