Lagos may well achieve its objective. The goal of improving waste management by 2024, and staying the course over the next few years. The Nigerian state, which produces around 13,000 tonnes of waste per day according to the Lagos Waste Management Agency (Lawma), has just recruited Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) to support its policy.
“This collaboration will focus on the pillars of technology, advocacy, implementation and promotion of circular economy innovations such as recycling, composting, reuse and waste-to-energy projects, which are key to reducing the environmental footprint of waste, creating jobs and fostering sustainable development in Lagos,” says the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.
New integrated waste management facilities
Under the agreement, the Ghanaian company will handle solid and liquid waste treatment in the state, the most populous in the West African country with almost 17.6 million inhabitants. JGC will also set up a materials recovery facility to reduce downstream pressure (waste disposal volume) on landfills in Lagos.
The MoU also provides for the installation of compact, mobile loading stations to replace existing fixed installations and reduce waste at pressure points such as markets. The Accra, Ghana-based company will also supply self-supporting tricycles to increase transfer and loading station operations, and build a garbage can manufacturing and plastic recycling plant to streamline recycling activities.
The local authorities have assured the Lagos waste sector that their waste collection activities will continue, noting that JGC will provide back-up, if necessary, in the form of equipment and technical assistance.
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The Nigerian government’s confidence in JGC stems from the company’s many years of experience in Ghana, where its subsidiary Zoomlion has been effectively managing public waste since April 2006. One tangible example is the collaboration with the Ghanaian government in the construction of 16 integrated recycling and composting plants in the country’s 16 regions.
Inès Magoum