The Federal Ministry of Environment has inaugurated an inter-ministerial Committee on Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production (RECP), and updated the harmonised compendium of national environmental policies and regulations.
The committee was set up during a workshop organised by the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as part of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project titled “Improving Nigeria’s Industrial Energy Performance & Resource Efficient Cleaner Production through Programmatic Approaches & the Promotion of Innovation in Clean Technology Solutions”.
The project is designed to accelerate the adoption of Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) and to improve enterprise environmental performance, under the RECP best practices and innovative approaches within selected small, medium and large-scale industrial enterprises in Nigeria.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Mahmud Kambari, who declared the workshop open, said that despite the recognised economic, environmental, and social benefits of IEE and RECP, the implementation of these concepts continues to face obstacles, ranging from limited awareness to inadequate technical expertise and lack of access to essential tools and methodologies, hence, the committee.
According to him, the ministry plans to foster a culture of resource efficiency, implement cleaner production practices, enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing, develop effective strategies for sustainable development and promote circular economy in industries.
Kambari explained that Nigeria, as a signatory to multiple international environmental agreements including the UN Climate Protocols, has made ambitious commitments through our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
These include achieving a 20 per cent unconditional and 47per cent conditional reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
“To fulfil these targets, it is critical that we transition to a low-carbon economy, adopt environmentally sound production practices, and proactively mitigate environmental degradation.
“This project will therefore, assist the Federal Government in promoting resource efficiency and cleaner production of the industrial sector as an instrument of meeting its environmental sound management obligations, through technology innovation, process optimisation and improved service delivery for a sustainable development and green industrialization”, he added.
He stated that participants’ presence in the workshop signifies a shared commitment to entrenching energy system optimisation, and environmental management systems through resource-efficient, cleaner production and circular economy principles within national development strategies.
