Bob Laxton is calling on the public to donate their old, unwanted handsets to African countries. 

On October 18 2006 Parliament launched a ”Phones 4 Africa”, the campaign, which is supported by the Prime Minister, will send old, unwanted mobile phones to be reconditioned and reused in African nations.     

Bob Said:  “Every hour 1712 mobile phones are upgraded in the UK alone after around 18 months of use. Yet, mobile phones can have a lifespan of up to 10 years. Even worse, if each mobile phone user in the UK were to throw away their handsets we’d be land filling around £650,000 of silver each year.”  

“This is why the Phones for Africa campaign is such a good campaign. Sending your unwanted mobile phones to developing countries can not only help protect our environment from hazardous waste and toxic chemicals but can help people in developing countries to do business and keep in touch with their families.”  

“Faced often with poor transport infrastructure, having a mobile phone can be vital to the lives of individuals in African countries.  Examples may include fishermen being able to call around to find the best prices for their stock; children keeping in touch with their parents and, most importantly, emergency cases, where the nearest hospital is 90 miles away, people can call for help and diagnoses, which may be the difference between life and death.” 

“It has been proven that better communication can help to lift countries out of poverty, that is why I think it is so important that we in the UK do all we can to help them help themselves” 

You can send your mobiles to the freepost address – FREEPOST Fonebak Vodafone Africa.   

The Prime Minister said:  “Phones 4 Africa is a great idea.  It means people in Britain can help thousands of people in Africa use ordinary mobile phones to break out of poverty.”