The federal government is collaborating with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to promote environmentally sound and safe waste management frameworks in Africa.

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, stated this at the closing workshop of the “Environmentally Sound and Safe Waste Management Frameworks in Africa” project on Tuesday in Abuja.

The project, being implemented in Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, aims to promote better inclusion of informal structures and workers while ensuring the protection of the health and rights of informal waste pickers.

Mr Lawal, represented by the Director, Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Ministry of Environment, Adeola Omotunde, said the project marked an important milestone in collective efforts to address challenges in waste management.

The minister expressed optimism that waste pickers would be integrated into the waste management value chain to strengthen them and protect their interests.

“We hope to be able to integrate the waste pickers; they are very strong in the chain, and to strengthen them and protect their interests, even in the waste management value chain. Together we can achieve a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Nigeria,” he said.

In a goodwill message, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Environment, Mima Sobba-Stephens, said the project had been timely for the country.

She said waste management remained a serious environmental, public health and development challenge.

Ms Sobba-Stephens explained that rapid urbanisation, population growth, changing consumption patterns and inadequate infrastructure continued to place pressure on waste services in Freetown and other growing municipalities.

“At the same time, emerging and hazardous waste streams, including plastics, healthcare waste, electronic waste, used oils, chemicals and mining-related waste, require clearer rules, stronger technical capacity and more effective oversight.

“An equally important lesson is that reform must be inclusive. Informal waste workers already make a substantial contribution to collection, sorting, recycling and community cleanliness. Women and young people are particularly represented in this sector.

“Sierra Leone’s reform agenda must therefore support progressive formalisation, skills development, safer working conditions, social inclusion and the elimination of child labour, while protecting livelihoods rather than displacing them,” she said.

Earlier, the Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Innocent Barikor, said the project would bring about necessary legislative and institutional reforms in the waste management sector in Africa and globally.

He stated, “It is worthy to note that 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 Africa.”

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

He said the project aligned with Nigeria’s push towards a circular economy and resource efficiency.

In a presentation, a UNEP representative, Valentina Ricca, said the project, which began in 2023, aimed to strengthen waste management in Africa.

She said the project also aimed to address waste management challenges faced by many African countries.

Ms Ricca said effective waste management required strong governance and collaboration among stakeholders. 

(NAN)