Abdul Rahman Kallon

Sierra Leonean tech entrepreneur who created Africa's first e-waste recycling startup

Abdul Rahman Kallon (b. 1982) founded E-Waste Africa in 2005 at age 23, addressing the growing electronic waste crisis across West Africa. His company pioneered a closed-loop system where discarded electronics are disassembled locally, with valuable materials like gold and copper recycled into new products. Kallon's innovation includes the first mobile app (E-Waste Tracker) connecting informal collectors to formal recycling facilities. By 2022, his methods had diverted 23,000 tons of e-waste from landfills and created 1,200 green jobs. Featured in Fast Company's 2020 Most Creative People list, Kallon now advises the African Union's Circular Economy Task Force. His TED Talk "E-Waste is a Resource, Not a Problem" has over 2 million views.