The implementation of Circular Economy in the plastic packaging sector in the country is about to get more exciting as Nigeria joins other countries at the 3-day GEF Plastic Reboot 1st Annual Conference, convened by the United Nations Environment Programme in close collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil.
The Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA Prof. Innocent Barikor is leading the Nigerian delegation at the conference taking place in Salvador, Brazil and attended by 15 countries and global partners tackling plastic pollution through the Plastic Reboot programme.
The conference is a platform for governments, technical experts, the civil society, the private sector and key stakeholders from the countries participating in the Child Project “Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution” to brainstorm and share insights on regulations and policies, innovation and best practices towards the success of the project.
Nigeria is executing the 5-year project GEF-ID 11193 through NESREA, with UNEP as the implementing agency.
Under the project, Nigeria targets an ambitious plan to reduce the packaging of water in plastic sachets while ensuring access to safe drinking water.
The Nigeria Child Project aims to transition the water packaging sector towards circular solutions that reduce reliance on single-use plastic sachets because of pollution emanating from indiscriminate littering while ensuring safe drinking water for all Nigerians.
The project will pilot and scale up reuse and refill systems, demonstrating the economic viability of sustainable water business models in at least three states, within some institutions – airport, train stations, including Federal Government Offices, where a ban on single-use plastics has been in force since August, 2024.
