Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone Begin Major Waste Management Reforms
—UNEP-backed initiative pushes stronger laws, better oversight and protection for informal workers
Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone are set to strengthen their waste management systems following a regional initiative supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) aimed at improving legislation, institutional coordination and environmental safeguards.
The three countries reached the position at the conclusion of a two-day Final Regional Closing Workshop hosted by Nigeria’s National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), where stakeholders reviewed and validated findings, proposed legislative measures and recommendations from the project.
The initiative, which began in 2023, focused on developing safer and more environmentally sustainable waste management frameworks while addressing gaps in regulation, enforcement and institutional capacity.
Stakeholders also highlighted the need to formally recognise and protect workers in the informal waste sector, many of whom play an important role in waste collection, sorting, recycling and material recovery despite operating outside conventional regulatory structures.
Declaring the project an important foundation for improving waste governance, NESREA Director-General, Prof. Innocent Barikor, said the priority now was to turn the recommendations into practical reforms.
Barikor said the participating countries would develop a post-project implementation and sustainability roadmap to guide legislative and policy changes, strengthen institutional capacity, promote gender inclusion and safeguard children’s rights.
He said the reforms would also contribute to Nigeria’s efforts to promote a circular economy and improve resource efficiency.
A circular economy model seeks to minimise waste by extending the useful life of products and materials through prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery, rather than relying predominantly on disposal.
Stakeholders, however, stressed that achieving meaningful improvements would require more than the adoption of new policies. They called for clear institutional responsibilities, stronger technical expertise, effective enforcement mechanisms and sustainable financing.
Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Environment, Hon. Mima Yema Mimi Sobba-Stephens, said the changing composition of waste had increased the urgency for comprehensive regulation.
She identified plastics, healthcare waste, electronic waste, used oils, chemicals and mining-related waste as areas requiring stronger regulatory controls, technical expertise and institutional oversight.
She advocated a harmonised legal framework covering the entire waste hierarchy, from prevention and reduction to reuse, recycling and recovery, with environmentally sound disposal retained as the final option.
In Guinea-Bissau, the project also drew attention to the contribution of informal waste workers.
The Director of Chemical Product Waste Service, Per Infali Cassama, said the initiative had helped the country recognise the role of the informal sector and provided an avenue for engagement among stakeholders at various levels.
Participants noted that waste pickers and other informal operators contribute significantly to the recovery of recyclable materials, particularly in areas where formal waste collection and recycling systems remain limited.
They therefore called for future waste policies to combine environmental protection with measures that recognise the contribution of informal workers and protect their livelihoods and welfare.
Representing the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, the Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Mrs Omotunde Adeola, described the workshop as a starting point for implementation.
She said the initiative would help improve waste management practices, strengthen environmental compliance and deliver practical benefits to communities across Nigeria.
Also speaking, Valentina Ricca of the UNEP Law Division said the project was established to strengthen waste management frameworks in the participating countries while promoting the inclusion and protection of informal waste workers.
With the technical phase now concluded, attention is expected to shift towards implementing the proposed legislative, institutional and policy reforms.
The success of the initiative will ultimately depend on how effectively the three countries translate the recommendations into enforceable laws, adequately fund waste management institutions and sustain cooperation among government agencies, communities and other stakeholders.
For Nigeria, the reforms also offer an opportunity to link waste management with resource recovery, environmental protection and the broader transition towards a circular economy.
