African engineers are expected to discuss waste management in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda.

The 2nd edition of Africa Engineering Conference from Sept. 25 to 29 is convened under the theme "Effective Waste Management in Africa."

The five-day meeting was organized by Rwanda's ministry of infrastructure in collaboration with the Institute of Engineering Rwanda (IER) and Federation of Africa Engineering Organizations (FAEO).

It will bring together about 1,000 delegates including consultants, civil society in general together with local, regional and international engineers, according to a statement from the ministry of infrastructure.

The conference will discuss diverse challenges related to waste management in Africa and consider the prospects for adequate, reliable and sustainable development of waste management, Papias Kazawadi, head of Institution of Engineers of Rwanda, told journalists in Kigali ahead of the meeting.

About 35.8 percent of Rwandans use waste collection and disposal services, 29.8 percent dump waste in nearby bushes, 29.5 percent dump it in their fields or places around them, while about 0.2 percent burn or dump it in rivers or flowing water, according to the ministry of infrastructure.

Organic waste accounts for about 70 percent of the total wastes compared to 30 percent for non-degradable wastes in Rwanda.

(Xinhua News Agency, September 25, 2017)