Africa’s growing end-of-life vehicle challenge can become a major circular-economy opportunity, but only if governments connect regulation with enforcement, infrastructure, finance and professional recycling businesses, speakers told the latest International Round Table on Auto Recycling webinar.
The International Roundtable on Automotive Recycling (IRT) session, organised by Haydn Davies, Director of Auto Recycling World and ATF Professional, was held on Thursday 30 July 2026 and brought together Dr Kemjika Ajoku, former Head of Industry Division at the ECOWAS Commission, and John Hunt, founder of South African used-parts specialist Sparesboyz. Moderated by Steve Fletcher, the webinar examined the issue from both policy and frontline business perspectives.
Nigeria’s ageing vehicle challenge
Dr Kemjika Ajoku presented findings from work examining the environmental management of end-of-life vehicles in Nigeria, intended to inform a wider approach across West Africa.
A central challenge is the country’s reliance on imported used vehicles. Ajoku’s presentation indicated that used vehicles accounted for 86% of Nigerian vehicle imports between 2021 and 2025, compared with 14% for new vehicles. Many arrive after years of use elsewhere and must then operate on demanding roads, often with inconsistent maintenance.
This combination can accelerate the route to end of life. Ajoku said poorly maintained or misused vehicles may reach that point in under ten years, while well-maintained vehicles can remain in service for 15 to 20 years. The result is a growing stock of ageing vehicles without a corresponding national system to collect, deregister, depollute and process them.
Nigeria has environmental and regulatory frameworks, a large parts aftermarket and established waste-management institutions. However, Ajoku identified major practical gaps: no developed network of authorised vehicle scrapping facilities, insufficient computerised testing capacity, weak vehicle databases and deregistration, and few incentives for owners to surrender obsolete vehicles.
Much dismantling therefore remains manual and informal. This creates risks around fluids, batteries and other hazardous materials, while reducing the recovery of plastics and lower-value materials. It also makes it harder for compliant businesses to secure vehicles, invest in equipment and compete with operators carrying fewer costs.
Turning policy into operating systems
Ajoku argued that legislation alone is insufficient where implementation remains weak. Formalisation requires a connected operating system covering roadworthiness testing, vehicle identification, collection, authorised treatment, parts reuse, material recovery and final deregistration.
Finance is equally important. The presentation noted that placing recycling costs on the final owner can discourage legal surrender, particularly where an old vehicle still has value in the informal market. Effective extended producer responsibility will therefore need a practical funding structure, clear responsibilities and incentives that move vehicles into controlled facilities.
Ajoku’s recommendations included a national survey of deregistered and abandoned vehicles; authorised recyclers working to recognised standards; digital ELV records; stronger regulation of the used-parts market; investment in collection and treatment infrastructure; and cooperation between used-vehicle exporters in Europe and importers in West Africa.
He also highlighted commercial opportunities across collection, dismantling, reuse, remanufacturing and materials recovery. Engines, alternators, starters, turbochargers, transmissions, steering components, batteries, compressors and body parts all offer potential for local reuse or remanufacture, reducing import costs and supporting skills and employment.
A South African frontline perspective
John Hunt brought the experience of building Sparesboyz over more than 30 years, showing that demand for affordable reused parts already supports viable businesses. His contribution also underlined why professional operators need clearer recognition, consistent enforcement and standards that distinguish responsible recyclers from informal or criminal activity.
Crime was a recurring concern. An audience question asked whether vehicle theft in South Africa is driven more by VIN cloning or the resale of used parts, illustrating how weak traceability can damage confidence in legitimate recyclers. The wider discussion pointed towards record-keeping, vehicle and seller identification, parts traceability and effective enforcement developing alongside environmental controls.
The discussion also addressed the political difficulty of securing government attention. One participant asked, in effect, how recycling gains traction unless it visibly generates revenue, jobs or public value. The speakers’ answer was contained in the business case: formal vehicle recycling can reduce pollution, recover strategic materials, supply lower-cost parts, create skilled employment and retain more value within African economies.
The webinar closed with a clear message. Africa does not lack vehicles, parts demand, labour or recoverable material. It lacks connected systems capable of converting those assets into safe, traceable and investable circular businesses.
As one attendee observed, vehicles enter the continent, but very little material leaves through organised recovery channels. Building that infrastructure is therefore not simply an environmental obligation. It is an industrial opportunity, and the countries that formalise first may capture the greatest value.
Watch the webinar
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Further Reading on Auto Recycling World
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How SENDRA Is Handling Abandoned Vehicles in Dakar
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Used Vehicles and Parts Reveal the Global Reach of Vehicle Recycling Yards
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From Directive to Practice: Testing the EU’s New ELV Rules Against Türkiye’s Reality
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Will Europe’s New ELV Rules Work for ATFs, or Against Them?
