Nigeria recently launched a Circular Economy Roadmap. It sets out a comprehensive plan to transform Nigeria from a linear to a circular economy by 2050. It targets key sectors such as agriculture, waste management, energy, construction, water, mining, and industrial processing, outlining specific actions for each to enhance sustainability and economic growth. The document emphasizes the need for collaboration across sectors and calls for engagement from stakeholders to ensure a successful transition.The Circular Economy Roadmap for Nigeria was developed with input from various stakeholders – faciliteated by the SWITCH to Green Facility. These stakeholders were critical to the transition of the Nigerian economy from a linear to a circular economy.
The population of Nigerie with its’ more than 200 Million people generates about 32 Million tons of solid waste per year. With limited waste management i.e. little or no segregation, the majority is illegally dumped in open spaces. Transitioning to a circular economy would enable Nigeria to create jobs and build greater resilience to future disruptions, while also addressing numerous ongoing crises, including resource scarcity, biodiversity loss and climate change.
The EU has supported the government, especially with the preparation and adoption of plastic waste regulation and circular economy. The Head of the Green & Digital Economy EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Inga Stefanowicz was quoted by the Nigierian press: “This work is being done and funded by the SWITCH to GREEN facility funded by the EU which provides the expert to carrying out the necessary work and preparation, the work is done in partnership primarily with the Ministry of Environment in the recognition that the minister is in the lead, we need to look at first the policy level some of these policies have been there and how to operationalizsed and enforce this policy, this is where the work on the roadmap start and state level organization comes in.’’