Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone Move to Overhaul Waste Management Frameworks

Three West African nations - Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone - are working to overhaul their waste management systems, with a focus on stronger legislation, better coordination and the inclusion of informal waste workers. This effort follows a UNEP-supported project to develop environmentally sounder waste management frameworks amid growing concerns over the social and environmental impacts of poor waste management.

At a final regional workshop hosted by Nigeria's National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), stakeholders reviewed the project's findings and recommendations, aiming to establish pathways for implementation, resource mobilisation and long-term sustainability. The workshop highlighted the need for gender inclusion, child protection and the recognition of the informal sector's role in waste collection, sorting and recovery.

NESREA's Director-General, Prof. Innocent Barikor, emphasized the importance of translating the project's outcomes into concrete reforms, including a post-project implementation roadmap to guide policy and legislative changes. The initiative aligns with Nigeria's circular economy objectives, which seek to reduce waste through prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery while offering economic benefits.

However, stakeholders stressed that achieving these changes requires more than policy declarations, calling for clearer legal responsibilities, stronger technical capacity, effective enforcement and sustained financing. Sierra Leone's Deputy Environment Minister, Hon. Mima Yema Mimi Sobba-Stephens, highlighted the urgency of comprehensive regulation due to the changing nature of waste streams, particularly for hazardous materials.

Guinea-Bissau also benefited from the project by recognising the contributions of informal waste workers. The process marks a shift from technical reviews to actual implementation, with the goal of establishing safer, more coordinated waste management systems that can adapt to evolving waste streams.