By Miriam Humbe, Abuja
Minister of Environment, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi, on Wednesday, unveiled the the Gap Analysis Report of the Solid Waste Management Sector, National Roadmap on Solid Waste Management and User Guide for Solid Waste Management Database.
At the event witnessed by the Ambassador of France in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mrs Emmanuelle Batman, AFD Country Director, Nigeria, Mr Xavier Muron, Abdullahi said that the report could not have come at a more auspicious time in view of daunting challenges Nigeria was facing as a result of poor Solid Waste Management.
He said that Nigeria, with a population of about 200 million people, generated about 1.5million tonnes of plastic wastes every year of which less than 10% was recycled.
The Minister said the problem of pollution in the country was exacerbated by issues including; inadequate waste management infrastructure, poor behavioral attitude, unskilled waste collection workforce, indiscriminate dumping and burning of plastic wastes, poor awareness, inadequate funding.
He said: “It is against this background that we welcome this Technical Assistance to support the Federal Management Framework on Solid Waste.
“The Technical Assistance is part of a series of actions being undertaken by Government to address the challenges of Solid Waste in the Country in a holistic and sustainable manner, particularly in our quest for alternatives to drive investment in the right direction and support sustainable development objectives to which Nigeria subscribes.”
It would be recalled that the Technical Assistance project, which commenced in 2020, had attained all expected deliverables, including the engagement of National and Sub-National stakeholders for effective Solid Waste Management in Nigeria.
The Minister said: “It is therefore, a thing of great joy to me that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the study was successfully carried out and validated by stakeholders and it is now ready for unveiling.”
The Minister said that the project had also delivered capacity building workshops for State and Federal level actors on; waste collection and transportation, dumpsite management, waste recycling and recovery, waste wise cities and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
He said: “Let me at this juncture, appreciate and thank the Government of France for supporting this Technical Assistance.
“The representative(s) of Agence Francaise De Developpment (AFD) present here, is a testimony to the importance, the AFD attaches to this Technical Assistance and the level of partnership between the AFD and Federal Ministry of Environment.
“I believe that the partnership will continue in our quest to ensure sustainable development in Nigeria.
“My appreciation also goes to the Project Focal Team for its diligence in ensuring this Technical Assistance was carried out as designed.
“It is on this note that I unveil the Report on the Gap Analysis of the Solid Waste Management sector in Nigeria, Database User Guide Manual and National Roadmap on Solid Waste Management in Nigeria to be used by all sectors and all stakeholders in Solid Waste Management in the country.”
Other personalities present at the event were the Representatives of the National Bureau of Statistics, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, and directors in the Ministry.
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