By Abuja, Nigeria
In an effort to address Plastic solution in the country, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other partners, have inaugurated the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Child Project 11193, titled “Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Project is aimed at reducing plastic waste associated with single-use water sachets through circular economy approaches.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NESREA, Prof. Innocent Barikor, described the project as a critical intervention in Nigeria’s environmental sustainability efforts.
He noted that while sachet water has improved access to drinking water for millions of Nigerians, its widespread use has contributed significantly to plastic pollution, clogged drainage systems, flooding, ecosystem degradation, and public health concerns.
“Nigeria consumes more than 2.5 billion litres of sachet water annually, produced by over 32,000 manufacturers nationwide.”
“The scale of consumption underscores the urgency of adopting innovative and sustainable solutions to manage plastic waste without compromising access to potable water.”
Also Speaking at the project launch, Senior Environmental Specialist at the GEF and Lead of the GEF-8 Plastics Integrated Programme, Evelyn Swain, praised NESREA for convening the event and for its role as the national executing agency.
Swain noted that the wide representation of government institutions, civil society organisations, the private sector, academia and development partners at the event reflected a shared determination to tackle plastic pollution through inclusive and coordinated action.
“The integrated programme approach was designed to address the root causes of environmental degradation through systems-based interventions that generate multiple global environmental benefits across climate change, biodiversity, chemicals and ocean protection.”
The programme, led by UNEP in collaboration with partners including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), focuses on transforming single-use plastics in the food and beverage sector. Swain stressed that unlike traditional approaches centred mainly on waste management, the initiative prioritises upstream and midstream solutions such as product design, innovative business models, supportive policies and market incentives.
