The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has commenced a major reform process aimed at overhauling Nigeria’s waste management system, with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) designated as the pilot area for the initiative.
As part of efforts to establish the necessary policy and institutional frameworks, NESREA hosted two separate two-day consultative workshops with key stakeholders in Abuja. The first session focused on consolidating recommendations for legislative and institutional reforms in the sector, while the second examined strategies to better integrate informal waste workers and structures into the new system.
The workshops form part of the UNDA-funded Project on Environmentally Sound and Safe Waste Management Frameworks in Africa, implemented by UNEP and other UN agencies across Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
NESREA Director General, Prof. Innocent Barikor, described the project as timely, noting that it aligns with Nigeria’s ongoing transition to a circular economy that promotes resource efficiency and green job creation. He highlighted the FCT’s selection as the pilot location, stressing the critical importance of waste management to public health, environmental sustainability, and quality of life.
“Despite various policies and plans, Nigeria continues to face major challenges in waste management, including inadequate infrastructure, insufficient funding, and low public awareness,” he said. “To address these gaps, NESREA, in collaboration with UNEP under the Montevideo Programme V, is implementing this pilot project in Abuja.”
Barikor explained that the project seeks to strengthen Nigeria’s waste management framework, promote environmentally sound waste practices, expand waste segregation, and ensure the inclusion and protection of informal waste workers. He added that NESREA’s newly launched National Waste Marketplace Programme and the ongoing implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme would further support the reforms.
UNEP representative Aphrodite Smagadi emphasized the importance of meaningful stakeholder engagement, including government institutions, the private sector, civil society, and informal waste operators, for the reforms to succeed.
Also speaking, Director of Climate Change at the Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, said waste management challenges also present opportunities for innovation, wealth creation, and green enterprise. Represented by Chief Scientific Officer Uduak Ekpa, she noted that Nigeria generates more than 32 million tonnes of solid waste annually, consisting of diverse waste streams that require tailored management approaches.
The workshops brought together participants from various government ministries, departments and agencies, waste pickers’ associations, civil society organisations, and recycling companies. They reviewed global best practices and offered recommendations to support the successful implementation of the pilot project.
