Japanese government pledges support for Nigeria plastic waste control

The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Hideo Suzuki says his country will provide more support for Nigeria in its efforts to tackle plastic waste control through the project, “Accelerating a Circular Plastic Economy to Reduce Plastic Pollution and its Impacts in African Region and its Countries”. 

Speaking during a courtesy call on the Director General National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA, Dr. Innocent Barikor, Mr. Suzuki, says that the initial support through Japanese Supplementary Budget (JSB1) had supported stakeholders engagement, development of National Guidelines for the Implementation of EPR for Packaging (Plastic) and EPR Enforcement Plan.

He expressed satisfaction of the Japanese government with the dedication and commitment exhibited by NESREA in the first phase of the project.

The Ambassador said the second phase of the project which would be funded from the Japanese Supplementary Budget 2 (JSB2) would kick off in March 2025 and further scale up on the initiatives of first phase.

“The second phase of the project will consider development of reuse and refill systems to address pollution from water sachets, conduct feasibility study and identify possible reuse solutions, consultations with relevant stakeholders, and identifying financial gaps for reuse systems and solutions to Single Use Plastic (SUP) pollution.” he said.

Responding, the Director General of NESREA, Dr. Innocent Barikor expressed his gratitude to the government and people of Japan, noting that their support has assisted the Agency in promoting sustainable environmental practices and aligning with circular plastic economy.

He said the Agency was desirous of understudying the advanced and effective waste management system operated in Japan and looked forward to future collaborations with the Government of Japan.