Lagos partners with three firms to convert waste into wealth

NIGERIA – The Lagos State Government (LASG) has signed three landmark Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with private sector investors to advance large-scale waste conversion initiatives.

The agreements, announced during the 11th Lagos International Climate Change Summit, mark a major step toward transforming the state’s waste management model from “pick and dump” to a circular, resource-driven system.

According to a statement by Kunle Adeshina, Director of Public Affairs, the MoUs aim to drastically reduce the volume of waste reaching landfill sites by focusing on conversion, recycling, and recovery processes.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, said the new partnerships reflect Lagos’ “irrevocable commitment” to turning waste into wealth.

“We are determined to move away from linear waste management to a sustainable circular model that views waste as a resource,” Wahab stated.

The agreements involve three companies with distinct focus areas. HAK Waste Ltd. will establish a circular beverage container recycling and recovery system, anchored on the Extended Producer Responsibility Mechanism (EPRM) and a deposit refund model designed to promote packaging circularity.

Haggai Logistics Ltd. will set up Lagos’s first fully automated waste tyre recycling plant, deploying advanced technologies to process end-of-life tyres into reusable materials.

The third MoU, with Mondo 4 Africa, focuses on converting non-recyclable plastics into sustainable fuel and other valuable resources using eco-friendly technologies.

Wahab added that the state’s waste-to-wealth vision also includes a behavioral component, “We are sensitising residents to sort waste from the source and understand that waste is not waste, it’s a resource.”

Supporting the initiative, the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, emphasized the need for strong private sector collaboration.

“The government or LAWMA alone cannot manage the daily volume of waste generated in Lagos. These partnerships are vital to building a circular economy,” he said.

The investors expressed confidence in Lagos’ waste management reforms and pledged full cooperation with the state to actualize the shared sustainability vision.

This development aligns Lagos with a growing trend across Africa, where cities like Kigali, Nairobi, and Accra are adopting waste-to-energy and recycling projects to curb pollution and create jobs.

Lagos’s latest agreements position it as a regional leader in leveraging private investment for environmental transformation and climate resilience.

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