The federal government is collaborating with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on waste management reforms in Nigeria.

Innocent Barikor, the director-general of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), stated this at a workshop on waste management reforms in Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Barikor said the event aimed to improve waste management and protect the health and rights of informal waste workers in Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leone.

“This pilot project is coming at a time when Nigeria is yearning to adopt the principles of circular economy and resource efficiency that can create a win-win scenario where environmental protection goes hand in hand with economic prosperity and improved social well-being.

”The waste management sector plays a vital role in safeguarding public health, ensuring environmental sustainability, and enhancing the quality of life in our communities.

”It has, over the years, remained one of the key environmental and developmental challenges in Nigeria,” he said.

Mr Barikor said that, despite efforts to develop policies and plans, Nigeria continues to face significant challenges in managing waste, including inadequate infrastructure, insufficient funding, and a lack of public awareness.

”Thus, effective waste management is crucial for protecting public health, preserving the environment, and promoting socio-economic development,” he said.

He said that to address this, NESREA, in collaboration with UNEP under the Montevideo Programme V for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law, is implementing the pilot project in Abuja.

Mr Barikor said the objective of the project was to strengthen the waste management framework with the aim of promoting environmentally sound and safe waste management in Nigeria, while ensuring better inclusion and protection of informal workers and their structures.

He said the project would also generate recommendations for necessary legislative and institutional reforms within the waste management sector.

Mr Barikor said the task before stakeholders was to review the current state of waste management in the FCT, identify areas requiring legislative and institutional improvement, and explore best practices and innovative approaches.

“Our collective inputs as stakeholders will, in the long run, achieve sustainable waste management practices in Nigeria.

”Together, we will seek to improve waste management practices within the FCT and beyond,” he said.

In a Goodwill message, Ayodele Olawande, the Minister of Youth Development, pledged the ministry’s full commitment to the project, saying it would create jobs for the youth.

Aphrodite Smagadi of UNEP commended NESREA for the partnership, saying that the project is a collective responsibility for all.

She urged all stakeholders to ensure that the proposed framework reflected the realities on ground and shaped the waste management project.

(NAN)