Why repair skills matter for Africa's tech future

Walk through any big market in Africa — Dantokpa in Cotonou, Computer Village in Lagos, Adjamé in Abidjan — and you'll find them: the repairers. They sit behind tiny counters surrounded by screens, cables, batteries and tools. They replace broken screens in 20 minutes, revive phones that fell in water, and fix charging ports that "stopped working for no reason."

In many rich countries, when a phone breaks, people buy a new one. In Africa, people fix it. And fix it again. And sometimes, once more.

This isn't just about saving money. Repair is a skill, an industry and — increasingly — a key part of Africa's technology future.

Why do repair skills matter so much for Africa, and how can we make the most of them?

The repair economy is huge

Africa's repair sector employs large numbers of people, mostly in the informal economy. Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos, is often described as one of Africa's largest markets for phones and electronics, with thousands of traders and technicians.

Repairers extend the life of millions of phones, computers, TVs, radios and appliances every year. Every repair keeps a device in use longer, saves the owner money and delays the moment that device becomes waste.

The world produced a record 62 million tonnes of electronic waste in 2022 — and only about 22% was documented as properly collected and recycled. (Global E-waste Monitor 2024, ITU & UNITAR) Repair is one of the most effective ways to reduce e-waste: the greenest device is the one you already have.

Why repair matters: five reasons

A new smartphone can cost a significant share of monthly income for many Africans. Repairing a screen or battery costs much less.

• It saves money

Repair shops employ technicians, apprentices, parts sellers and delivery people. Many young people find their first income in repair. (See How young Africans learn from older makers.)

• It creates jobs

Every repaired device delays or prevents e-waste. The UN's Global E-waste Monitor warns that e-waste is the fastest-growing solid waste stream in the world.

• It reduces waste

Repairers understand hardware deeply: circuits, components, soldering, diagnostics. These are the same skills engineers use to design and build devices.

• It builds tech skills

A continent that can repair its technology depends less on imports and foreign service centres.

• It builds independence

Joke break: A repairer in Cotonou once said, "In Europe, when a phone falls in water, people buy a new one. Here, we put it in rice, pray, then bring it to me. The rice rarely works. The prayer sometimes does. I always do."

The skills behind the counter

Repairing modern electronics is not easy. Skilled technicians need:

• Diagnosis: figuring out what's wrong — often without a manual.
• Fine motor skills: working with tiny screws and components.
• Soldering: joining electronic parts with heat.
• Understanding circuits: how power flows, what each component does.
• Software skills: reinstalling systems, recovering data, removing viruses.
• Customer service: explaining problems and prices, building trust.
• Business skills: pricing, sourcing parts, managing stock.

Many repairers learn informally, through apprenticeships or online videos. Some attend vocational training. Few have official certificates — yet many are remarkably skilled.

The problem: devices designed not to be repaired

Many modern devices are hard to repair:

• Glued batteries and screens.
• Special screws needing special tools.
• Parts "paired" with software so replacements don't work properly.
• No public repair manuals.
• Expensive or unavailable original parts.

This has led to the global "right to repair" movement, which asks manufacturers to make devices easier to fix and to provide parts, tools and information. The European Union has adopted rules to strengthen the right to repair, including requirements that make some products easier to fix and that support access to spare parts. Similar debates are happening in the United States and elsewhere.

For Africa, right-to-repair matters enormously — because repair is how most people keep their devices working.

The dark side: unsafe recycling

When devices can't be repaired, they become e-waste. In some places, e-waste is burned in the open to extract valuable metals like copper. This releases toxic smoke with substances like lead, mercury and dioxins, harming workers and nearby communities — including children.

The Agbogbloshie area in Accra, Ghana, became internationally known for informal e-waste processing and its health risks. Authorities later cleared parts of the site, but informal e-waste processing continues in many places.

Repair reduces the flow of e-waste. Safe recycling handles what can't be repaired. Both are needed. Read more about waste solutions in The ideas helping African cities reduce waste.

Repair as a pathway into tech careers

Repair skills can lead to many careers:

• Electronics technician.
• Hardware engineer.
• IoT (Internet of Things) developer.
• Solar installer and technician.
• Refurbishment business owner.
• Trainer or teacher.

Some of Africa's most famous young inventors started by taking apart and repairing things. Kelvin Doe in Sierra Leone built his own batteries and generator from scrap. William Kamkwamba in Malawi repaired radios before building his famous wind turbine. See The young engineers making tools for their communities.

"If you can't fix it, you don't own it." — slogan of the global repair movement, popularised by iFixit's Self-Repair Manifesto

Solar repair: a growing need

Millions of households in Africa now use solar lamps and home solar systems. When they break, who fixes them? Often, no one — and the product becomes waste.

Training technicians to repair solar products creates jobs and keeps clean energy working. Organisations in the off-grid solar sector have increasingly focused on repairability and after-sales service. This is a big opportunity for young people with repair skills.

How to improve the repair economy

For governments:

• Recognise repair skills with certifications (like trade certificates).
• Support vocational training in electronics repair.
• Push for right-to-repair rules on imported devices.
• Build safe e-waste collection and recycling systems.

For schools:

• Teach basic electronics and repair in STEM clubs. (See How to make a science club work without a laboratory.)
• Organise "repair cafés" where students fix things with guidance.

For manufacturers:

• Design devices that can be opened and repaired.
• Provide parts, tools and manuals in African markets.
• Train and certify local repairers.

For consumers:

• Choose devices known to be repairable.
• Use trusted repairers.
• Recycle old devices responsibly.

Safety for repairers

Repair work has risks:

• Battery fires: lithium batteries can catch fire if damaged or punctured.
• Toxic fumes: from soldering without ventilation.
• Eye injuries: from small parts and chemicals.
• Electric shock: from mains-powered devices (TVs, microwaves, power supplies).

Good practices: ventilation, eye protection, fire safety (sand bucket or extinguisher), proper battery handling and training.

Start a repair café

A repair café is an event where people bring broken items and volunteers help fix them. The idea began in the Netherlands in 2009 and has spread worldwide.

A school or community group can organise one:

• Invite local repairers as volunteer "coaches."
• Ask people to bring broken phones, radios, lamps, fans and clothes.
• Fix things together, and teach as you go.
• Record what was fixed and how much waste was avoided.

It's fun, useful and builds community. See How one small community action grows.

A day at the repair kiosk (illustrative)

Meet an illustrative repairer in Dantokpa we'll call Romaric (illustrative).

8:00 a.m. He opens his kiosk and lines up the day's jobs: three cracked screens, one phone that won't charge, a tablet that fell in the lagoon (don't ask). 10:00 a.m. A student arrives in panic: her phone has all her exam notes and won't turn on. Romaric finds a loose battery connector, fixes it in 15 minutes and recovers everything. She almost cries with relief. 1:00 p.m. He sends his apprentice to buy a charging port from a parts seller two rows away. Prices went up again because of the exchange rate. 3:00 p.m. A customer argues about the price. Romaric explains the cost of the part and his work. They agree. 6:00 p.m. He watches a video tutorial on a new phone model, taking notes for tomorrow.

Romaric has no engineering degree. But he diagnoses faults, handles delicate components, manages a small business, trains an apprentice and keeps learning new technology every week. That's a real tech career.

Fixers are builders

Africa's repairers are often seen as "just" market technicians. In reality, they're some of the continent's most practical tech experts. They understand hardware, solve problems under pressure, run businesses and keep devices — and the economy — running.

As Africa builds its tech future, repair skills deserve respect, training and support. Because a continent that can fix things can also build things.

Keep reading: How to design useful technology for low connectivity, African makers who teach what they know, and our Technology & Innovation section.

Questions

Why is repair important in Africa?

It saves money, creates jobs, reduces e-waste, builds technical skills and reduces dependence on imports.

What is the right to repair?

A movement and set of policies asking manufacturers to make products easier to repair and to provide parts, tools and information.

How much e-waste does the world produce?

About 62 million tonnes in 2022, with only about 22% documented as properly collected and recycled.