PROTEGO Study Tour in South Africa for EPR Capacity Building

From 18 to 22 May 2026, participants representing Nigeria's National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) travelled to Gauteng Province, South Africa, for the PROTEGO Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Study Tour. Organised under the BMUV-funded PROTEGO framework, the five-day programme offered direct engagement with one of Africa's most mature EPR ecosystems, combining high-level policy dialogues at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) with field visits to recycling facilities and community buy-back centres.

The overarching objective was to study South Africa's multi-Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) model, which transitioned from voluntary to mandatory EPR in 2021, and to draw transferable lessons for the regulatory development of EPR in West Africa. Throughout the week, participants engaged in:

Day 1 – National Frameworks & Regulatory Landscape

• Policy dialogues with the DFFE on South Africa's legislative journey, from the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (2008) to mandatory EPR regulations enacted in 2021

• Country presentations from NESREA (Nigeria) and EPA Ghana on the current state of EPR frameworks in both countries

• Live system walkthrough of the South African Waste Information Centre (SAWIC) digital compliance registry

Day 2 – PRO Operational Models, Funding & Engagement

• Exchanges with four leading South African PROs: PETCO (PET packaging), Polyco (multi-plastic streams), eWASA (diversified multi-sector), and Circular Energy (batteries and EEE)

• Session with Nigeria's Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) on PRO governance, funding mechanisms, and free-rider enforcement

Day 3 – Field Visits: E-waste & Community Buy-Back Centres

• Site visit to Reclite South Africa, a specialised recycler handling e-waste, spent batteries, and photovoltaic modules

• Visit to the Makhabisi Recycling Buy-Back Centre, illustrating how informal waste pickers (reclaimers) can be integrated into formal recycling value chains

Day 4 – Field Visits: Advanced PET Recycling & E-waste Dismantling

• Tour of Extrupet (Pty) Ltd, one of Africa's most advanced PET bottle-to-bottle recycling facilities, producing food-grade rPET for major multinational beverage companies

• Visit to Bontle Ke Tlhago E-waste Recycling Centre, a community-integrated hub focused on safe manual dismantling and recovery of end-of-life electronics

Day 5 – European Comparisons & Country Reflections

• Comparative overview of European EPR archetypes from Germany, Italy, and France

• Country reflection sessions where each delegation defined concrete action points for integration into PROTEGO's Work Package 3

Lessons Learned

The tour provided several key insights for Nigeria and Ghana as they advance their EPR frameworks:

• Enforcement matters more than legislation. South Africa's DFFE acknowledged that free-rider enforcement remains its most significant unresolved challenge five years into mandatory EPR. Both countries should design digital producer registries and penalty frameworks before scaling obligations.

• PRO model design should reflect market realities. A multi-PRO model drives competition but adds complexity; a single-PRO model offers simplicity and scale. The choice should be driven by market size and enforcement capacity.

• Informal sector integration is structural, not optional. Buy-back centres need continuous support, such as equipment, training, price stabilisation, and clear linkages to off-takers, to function as reliable nodes in the recycling value chain.

• Start simple, improve iteratively. South Africa's SAWIC registry was imperfect from the outset and has improved over time. Both countries should launch a minimum viable digital registry early rather than waiting for a perfect system. Nigeria is exploring blockchain technology to leapfrog first-generation infrastructure.

• Regulatory credibility unlocks private investment. Extrupet confirmed interest in market entry into Nigeria, but made clear that stronger EPR compliance is a prerequisite. Strengthening regulatory frameworks is the mechanism that attracts private capital for recycling infrastructure.

Conclusion

The PROTEGO Study Tour in Gauteng Province offered participants a hands-on opportunity to engage with one of Africa's most established EPR ecosystems. South Africa's experience, its successes in scaling plastic diversion and formalising the informal sector, as well as its ongoing challenges in enforcement and digital compliance, provided equally instructive lessons. The European case studies further broadened participants' understanding of available design choices and their trade-offs.

Both Nigeria and Ghana arrive at this moment with legislative foundations in place. The action points developed by each delegation will be integrated into PROTEGO's Work Package 3 workplans as both countries move from framework design to effective implementation.