Lagos- Mr Ola Oresanya, General Manager, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), on Wednesday called for a collaboration between stakeholders, private investors and the academia to sustain waste management.
Oresanya made the call at a one-day interactive stakeholders forum on waste management.
The forum was jointly organised by the authority, UN Centre For Regional Development (UNCRD) and International Partnership for Expanding The Waste Management Services of Local Authorities (IPLA).
He said there should be sustainable policy decisions where waste management would have its own guide for national policy formulation and articulation on waste management in the country.
The General Manager said there was a need for an intervention that would achieve a participatory approach in waste management.
“LAWMA as the IPLA secretariat for West Africa, is saddled with the responsibility of coordinating and encouraging activities that will promote and share the IPLA objectives across the African cities.
“The main aim of the international partnership is to bridge capacity technology and institutional gaps in waste management through viable technical exchange platforms as well as support local authorities and municipalities to move towards a zero waste society,’’ he said.
He said the initiative had achieved coordination of waste management activities and technical exchange amongst states and cities within and outside the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the states include: Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Ondo, Rivers, Anambra and Kogi.
The countries LAWMA operates in the last 18 months are Sierra-Leone and Cote d’ Voire.
Oresanya said he hopeful that the collaboration would promote resource efficiency and zero waste system with the adoption of the three Rs – Reduce, Re-use and Re-cycle.
Dr Olusegun Oguntoke, Research Fellow, Department of Environment Management and Toxicology, University Agriculture, Abeokuta in his paper said there was a need to address the issue of waste management in a holistic manner.
He said all key players in the sector must contribute positively for a complete success in waste management.
“Collaboration between the governments, the academia, the private sector, community and the donor agencies is very crucial to achieve success in sustainable waste management.”
He said challenges such as financial and institutional constrains could be overcome to achieve a sustainanble environment.
Oguntoke advised that waste should no longer be regarded as waste but rather as material for re-use, for energy supply and recycling. (NAN)
