The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Hideo Suzuki has announced that Japan will provide additional support to Nigeria in its efforts to combat plastic waste through the project titled “Accelerating a Circular Plastic Economy to Reduce Plastic Pollution and its Impacts in the African Region and its Countries.”
Suzuki highlighted that the initial support, provided through the Japanese Supplementary Budget (JSB1), has aided in engaging stakeholders, developing National Guidelines for the implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging (Plastic) and creating an EPR enforcement plan.
During a courtesy visit to the director general of the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr. Innocent Barikor, Suzuki expressed the Japanese government’s satisfaction with NESREA’s dedication and commitment during the first phase of the project.
The ambassador went on to announce that the second phase of the project, which will be funded by the Japanese Supplementary Budget 2 (JSB2), is set to commence in March 2025. This phase will build upon the initiatives established in the first phase and will focus on developing reuse and refill systems to tackle pollution from water sachets. It will also involve conducting feasibility studies to identify possible reuse solutions, consulting with relevant stakeholders, and identifying financial gaps for implementing reuse systems and addressing single use plastic (SUP) pollution.
In response, Barikor expressed his gratitude to the government and people of Japan, noting that their support has greatly assisted the agency in promoting sustainable environmental practices and aligning with a circular plastics economy.
In a statement made by the agency’s assistant director of press, Nwamaka Ejiofor the NESREA director-general emphasised the agency’s desire to learn from Japan’s advanced and effective waste management systems and expressed eagerness for future collaborations with the Japanese government.
