Nigeria, in partnership with the European Union, ECOWAS and the Consul General of Netherlands in Lagos, is set to launch its circular economy roadmap, a policy document that will see the country promoting healthier people and a sustainable future. The roadmap will guide the country’s transition and define the roles of both the governments, which is to put policies in place to enable the private sector to drive the implementation. A circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible.
During a recent gathering in Lagos focused on Stakeholder Engagement Review and Workshop for Expanding Nigeria’s Circular Economy Roadmap, organized by the Circular Economy Innovation Partnership, Olubunmi Olusanya, the director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health at the Federal Ministry of Environment, highlighted plans to release the roadmap on March 30th, 2024. This document aims to facilitate Nigeria’s shift from a traditional, linear economy to a more sustainable, circular model by promoting the reuse and recycling of resources. According to him, an initial roadmap, which was developed and adopted in 2023 covered only three sectors including waste, food system and energy sector. He said the stakeholders requested the extension of the roadmap to other sectors such as mining, industrial sector, water and construction sectors, which was the reason for the workshop. He added that adopting a circular economy will lead to sustainable development, create jobs, eliminate waste and lead to efficient use of resources.
Leonie van der Stijl, Deputy Consul General and head of the economic department at the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Lagos, explained that the Netherlands’ collaboration with Nigeria on the circular economy initiative is driven by the understanding that such efforts require international cooperation in today’s interconnected global economy. The Netherlands aims to share its expertise on circular economy practices, focusing on supporting Dutch and Nigerian business collaborations. With a goal for the Netherlands to transition to a fully circular economy by 2050, van der Stijl highlighted the importance of international partnerships to create opportunities for employment, reduce waste, improve public health, and enhance efficiency.
Koen Rademaekers, CEO of Trinomics and chair of the Acen Foundation, defined the circular economy as a system that prioritizes the reuse, rethinking, and recycling of materials. He emphasized the importance of inclusive stakeholder engagement to ensure the roadmap covers all relevant sectors and avoids the pitfalls of a partial approach. Rademaekers also stressed the urgency of establishing legislative frameworks to protect investor interests, highlighting the need for clear mandates, regulatory harmonization, enhanced governance, and the formation of an inter-ministerial committee. He mentioned the critical role of public-private partnerships in financing the circular economy transition, especially in African countries with limited budgetary resources.
Muyiwa Gbadegesin, Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), shared that Lagos produces 13,000 tons of waste daily, much of which could be repurposed as a resource. He outlined Lagos’ ambition to develop a circular economy framework by collaborating with partners like the Circular Economy Innovation Partnership. This initiative aims to empower informal waste collectors by enhancing their business operations. Furthermore, Lagos is focused on diverting organic waste from landfills to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global warming by converting waste into compost and biogas, rather than burying it.
