BY NGOZI NWANKWO
The Federal Government, on Thursday, launched an innovative digital platform aimed at formalising Nigeria’s waste value chain by connecting waste generators, collectors, aggregators, recyclers, and end-users through a transparent and traceable system.
The platform was unveiled at a sensitisation workshop during the launch of the National Waste Marketplace Programme held in Abuja. The event, themed ‘Digitising and formalising the circular economy through technology,’ was organised by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency in collaboration with Recycle Stack Limited. It brought together key players from the waste management and recycling sectors to discuss strategies for advancing a circular economy in Nigeria.
The new platform is designed to leverage digital technology to create economic linkages across the recycling ecosystem while promoting environmental compliance, material recovery, and sustainable consumption and production patterns. It aims to formalise and scale the circular economy with a target of empowering 10 million Nigerians by 2035.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, noted that Nigeria faces serious waste management challenges, with millions of tonnes of recyclable materials lost to indiscriminate disposal each year, resulting in harm to the environment, public health, and economic growth.
Lawal, who was represented by Yunus Abdulganiyu, a director in the Department of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, said, “This programme is therefore an apt opportunity for closing the capacity gap by advancing circular economy principles in the national waste management system and modernising the sector’s operational standards, in which waste materials are valorized, reused, repurposed, and reincorporated into production cycles. This approach mitigates the linearity of conventional waste while ensuring traceability and transparency of transactions.”
He added that the initiative aligns with Nigeria’s environmental policies and international commitments.
“This initiative is consistent with the implementation framework of the National Policy on Solid Waste Management, the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme, and the National Circular Economy Roadmap. It also aligns with Nigeria’s commitments under global environmental agreements such as the Basel Convention, the Paris Agreement, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, it supports Sustainable Development Goals 12, 13, 14, and 15, which focus on responsible consumption and production, climate action, and sound governance for land and oceans,” he stated.
The minister stressed that environmental protection must be viewed as both a regulatory responsibility and an opportunity for innovation and economic growth. “As we advance towards a circular economy, it is essential to recognise that environmental protection is not only a regulatory obligation but also a driver of innovation and green growth,” he said.
He explained that the National Waste Marketplace will enhance transparency, improve environmental planning, and boost investor confidence in Nigeria’s recycling sector through regulatory reform, private sector participation, and technological innovation.
“Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level (Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration). Without prejudice, sustainable resource development revolves around a multi-tiered, cohesive effort and a willingness to achieve transformative change,” Lawal stated.
“Specifically, we are collectively obligated to translate our burdens of sustainable natural resource management into practical actions and innovative solutions, with the inclusive participation of all critical actors,” he added.
In his welcome address, the Director-General of NESREA, Prof. Innocent Barikor, said the National Waste Marketplace Programme represents a significant step in promoting an inclusive circular economy and addressing the country’s waste management challenges through digital innovation.
“The launch of the NWMP represents a bold and innovative initiative by NESREA to harness digital technology in solving one of the country’s most pressing environmental challenges: the effective management of waste as a resource rather than as a liability,” he said.