Nigeria targets 40,000 jobs with vehicle recycling, ELV regulation – says NADDC

NIGERIA – Nigeria’s push to regulate automotive waste through its new End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) framework is set to create more than 40,000 jobs while unlocking billions in revenue from recycling, according to the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).

Speaking at a sensitization and advocacy workshop in Kano, NADDC Director General Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin said the regulation, launched in March 2025 by the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, marks a major step in sustainable automotive waste management.

Represented at the event by the council’s Director of Policy, Planning and Statistics, Sani M. Musa, Osanipin stressed that the ELV framework is not just about waste disposal but “a strategic blueprint for economic diversification and environmental protection.”

“The regulation will recycle vast quantities of valuable materials, generate revenue, and reduce Nigeria’s carbon footprint. Through this process, we anticipate the creation of more than 40,000 direct and indirect jobs,” he said.

To guide implementation, NADDC will establish a steering committee of government agencies, industry players, environmental experts, and community representatives.

Dr. Fyneray Mbata, Managing Director of the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of Nigeria (REDIN), highlighted technologies essential for Nigeria’s first ELV plant proposed in Abuja by Fabtech Company.

These include depollution systems, vehicle shredders, sensor-based sorters, and catalytic converter recovery systems.

Such facilities, Mbata explained, would recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals, as well as platinum group metals from catalytic converters, adding significant value to the economy.

The initiative also received backing from lawmakers. Hon. Terseer Ugbor, Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, said the regulation, modeled on Japanese and Dutch systems, could enable Nigeria to recycle over 800,000 tonnes of metals annually, recover more than one million used batteries, and generate over N100 billion (US$67 million) in revenue.

He added that an “automotive recycling fee,” ranging from N2,000 for motorcycles to N10,000 for heavy-duty vehicles, would be introduced during registration, generating about N60 billion annually to support recycling infrastructure and research.

Ugbor emphasized that phasing out abandoned and non-roadworthy vehicles would not only create economic value but also improve road safety and reduce environmental pollution from used tyres, oils, plastics, and batteries.

Stakeholders at the workshop pledged to work with NADDC to ensure smooth nationwide implementation.

The initiative aligns with Nigeria’s broader green transition agenda, which also includes the recent launch of an Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) Database by the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) and UNIDO to cut industrial energy waste and enhance competitiveness.

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