Strengthening Strategic Collaboration with NESREA

On Monday, 23 June 2025, the PROTEGO team paid a courtesy visit to Prof. Innocent Barikor, Director General of the Nigerian National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). During the meeting, Prof. Barikor shared valuable insights and expressed enthusiastic support for the PROTEGO project and its upcoming Capacity Building Workshop on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

This visit reinforced NESREA’s commitment to advancing circular economy principles and regulatory enforcement, particularly in preparation for Nigeria’s upcoming mandatory EPR framework. It also marked a strong signal of national ownership and high-level institutional support for PROTEGO’s goals.

Building Capacity for Nigeria’s EPR Transition

On Wednesday, 25 June 2025, PROTEGO and NESREA co-hosted a Capacity Building Workshop on Extended Producer Responsibility in Abuja. The event convened a wide range of stakeholders, including:

• Federal ministries and agencies

• Civil society organisations and NGOs

• Producer responsibility organisations (PROs)

• Brand owners and manufacturers

• Informal waste-picker networks

• Recyclers and policymakers

The workshop enhanced stakeholder understanding of Nigeria’s EPR policies and regulations. It facilitated knowledge sharing on best practices and focused discussions on aligning existing policy frameworks with circular economy objectives. A key theme was the integration of informal sector actors into formal EPR systems.

Highlights from the Capacity Building Workshop on EPR:

• Keynote Address: Delivered on behalf of Hon. Minister of Environment Mr. Balarabe Abbas Lawal by Saleh Abubakar, DG of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, underscoring that “EPR is a fundamental paradigm shift compelling producers to manage the full lifecycle of their products.”

• Welcome Remarks: Prof. Barikor emphasized the importance of collaborative stakeholder action to establish Nigeria as a regional leader in EPR.

• Toolkit Presentation: Amar Munnolimath, Head of Green & Circular Economy Programme at adelphi, introduced an EPR toolkit designed to bridge policy and practice across the value chain.

In an interactive session, participants identified practical challenges and proposed concrete actions to improve EPR implementation. These insights will inform NESREA’s national EPR roadmap and support PROTEGO’s pilot initiatives in Lagos and Calabar, contributing to reduced single-use plastics and stronger circular systems across the Gulf of Guinea.