The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has drawn the curtain on the 54-month implementation period of UNIDO Project SAP 210184.

The project, titled “Promoting Sustainable Plastic Value Chains through Circular Economy Practices,” was funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNIDO in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnv) and other stakeholders and institutions.

  Following a 54-month implementation period, including an 18-month extension, which began in April 2022, the project was completed in September 2026.

The project aims to contribute to Nigeria’s inclusive and sustainable industrial development by reducing the leakage of plastics into the environment. Its expected outcome is the integration of circular economy principles and practices into the effective implementation of plastic waste management while strengthening the plastic value chain.

The project adopted a systemic circular economy approach, recognising that sustainable plastic waste management requires coordinated interventions at the policy, municipal and private-sector levels.

Accordingly, the project was implemented through three complementary and mutually reinforcing outputs, each addressing interconnected elements of the plastic value chain. These included supporting the development of implementation guidelines for the National Policy on Plastic Waste Management; strengthening recycling capacity in the target municipalities by reinforcing the plastic value chain system, including the provision of necessary equipment and the pilot implementation of plastic waste management guidelines; and demonstrating circular economy and resource efficiency practices, including innovative recycling systems and technologies, at pilot companies and institutions in and around the target municipalities to showcase their environmental and economic benefits.

The project was implemented in close collaboration with a wide range of national and sub-national partners, including the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON), as well as private-sector stakeholders.

On the occasion of the project’s closure, implementing partners and key stakeholders came together to reflect on the project’s achievements, share lessons learned and good practices, and discuss the way forward for advancing sustainable and effective plastic waste management.

   Speaking at the closure event held in Maryland, Lagos, the Regional Director, UNIDO Representative and Sub-regional Director, Philbert Johnson, said the project had achieved three key objectives over the 54-month period.
“We have been able to come up with implementation guidelines for plastic waste management. We have been able to strengthen recycling and the plastic value chain, and we have also demonstrated an efficient circular economy model for managing recycling through innovation and technology.

“Collection of waste plastics has increased, and what remains now is how to sustain it through the ecosystem that has been created over the past four years. The most important lesson from this project is that we need to scale up to make an impact while sustaining the achievements we have made. There is a need for ownership and effective coordination.

“I am sure that the private-sector model in plastic management is also a way of creating employment, and it should be maintained.”

On getting the government to take more responsibility, he said: “The government knows that it is its responsibility. Discussions on scaling up and sustainability ought to continue. The youths should be encouraged to go into this sector. State governments are invested in plastic management projects, but the challenge is that the burden is enormous. Therefore, I believe that it is a collective enterprise between the government and citizens.

“For example, when you litter plastics, you create a problem, so we should not look at it as the sole responsibility of the government.

“Citizens should know that they can make money from collecting plastics. There is a growing opportunity within the growing challenge. We can make enormous gains if we not only collect but also process plastics.”

  Speaking on the Japanese Government’s partnership, he said: “The Japanese Government’s support has been solid, and they have been consistent. They have proven beyond doubt that they are friends of Nigeria and Africa, and we are grateful to them. Sustaining and scaling up the project are what we must do.”

  The Director of the Pollution Control and Environmental Health Department at the Federal Ministry of Environment, Omotunde Adeola, said stakeholders have been able to achieve improved capacity and provide infrastructure for SMEs, which have been able to scale up their collection systems.

  “Those in Abuja have been able to progress to actual recycling, so the collection process has improved. Machines and vehicles were provided, jobs have been created, and women have been empowered. The centre in Lagos has improved, and operators are smiling to the bank.

“Our aim as environmentalists is to ensure that we take plastics out of our drainages and prevent them from entering our waterways, where aquatic animals could feed on them.”

  On waste-to-energy initiatives and the ministry’s efforts to ensure producers take responsibility, she said: “The adoption of waste-to-energy solutions is low, but we have moved forward from where we used to be. We have started initiatives around biogas production and several initiatives to convert waste to energy. It is a step-by-step process.”

“With the budgetary provisions between 2022 and 2026, we have achieved 60 per cent implementation. The ministry has the plastic policy in place, and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency is saddled with enforcement. Through this, we have been working together with Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), of which the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) is one. They are working with manufacturers to ensure that they take responsibility.

“The unveiling of the new regulation took place in early September, and I can guarantee that much will be achieved.”