With plastic pollution now one of Nigeria’s most visible environmental threats, Sterling One Foundation is joining global and national leaders in driving urgent, community-led action at WEDex 2025, a high-level World Environment Day convening hosted by GreenHub Africa in partnership with the United Nations.
The week-long event will bring together senior officials, multilateral partners, innovators and civil society leaders across Abuja and Lagos to catalyse stronger enforcement of Nigeria’s environmental protection laws and elevate scalable models for waste reduction, youth action and sustainable finance.
Sterling One Foundation will take a leading role in the agenda, including participation in a webinar titled ‘From Pollution to Innovation: Aligning Policy, Enterprise and Community for Sustainable Waste Solutions in Nigeria’, on May 23 and a keynote presentation at the ‘Financing Youth Initiatives for Green Entrepreneurship’ session on June 4.
The Foundation’s CEO, Olapeju Ibekwe, will join stakeholders from the United Nations Development Programme, Lafarge, Seplat and the Federal Government to spotlight new financing pathways for circular economy innovation and environmental job creation.
“Our participation at WEDex reflects a belief that climate action must be practical, people-driven, and financially backed. We are investing in models that clean the environment while building livelihoods, because sustainability without equity is incomplete,” said Ibekwe.
The Foundation’s work in climate impact includes the nationally recognised Beach Adoption Program, which has mobilised thousands of volunteers to remove over 9,000 kilograms of waste from Nigeria’s coastline, alongside partners such as LAWMA, WasteBanc and African Cleanup Initiative.
The Foundation also co-hosted National Sustainability Week 2024, engaging students and stakeholders in 18 states through cleanups, green skills education, and climate financing challenges.
This year’s WEDex, themed, ‘Combating Plastic Pollution’, will feature outcome-oriented webinars, panel discussions, and an exhibition at Eko Hotel Lagos on June 9, where the Sterling Group will showcase climate-smart innovations and sustainability initiatives under its HEART strategy.
