Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has been nominated as one of
the four African partners in the GreenVETAfrica project, according to a
release from the authority.
GreenVETAfrica project is an Erasmus+ project funded, by the European
Commission, seeking to integrate unemployed youth and vulnerable groups
into the labour markets in Nigeria and Ghana, by offering technical and
entrepreneurial training on green waste management.
The Green Waste Management and Micro Entrepreneurship Vocational
Education Training project, aims to contribute to the twin transitions
(Green and Digital), in alignment with the ambitious environmental
objectives of the European Green Deal and the Europe – Africa strategic
partnership.
Commenting on the nomination, the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Mr.
Ibrahim Odumboni, noted that it was delightful that LAWMA was a part of
the project, as it aligned with the Authority’s mandate of providing an
efficient and sustainable waste management system in Lagos State.
Odumboni said, “LAWMA is committed to promoting a sustainable
environment and a circular development model that will transform linear
economy into a circular one. This project aligns with the agency’s
vision to promote sustainable development and create job opportunities
for the youth in Lagos, Nigeria.
As a responsible waste management
authority, LAWMA believes that waste is a resource and can be
transformed into a valuable asset. The GreenVETAfrica project will equip
young Nigerians with the skills to manage waste sustainably, promote a
circular economy, and reduce the negative impact of waste on the
environment’, he said.
He noted further that, as one of the beneficiaries of the GreenVETAfrica
project, LAWMA would strengthen its training capacities to offer a green
waste management vocational training programme to young Nigerians,
adding that, through innovative digital tools, the programme would equip
young Nigerians with the necessary skills to reduce waste and pollution,
making better use of waste generated, and guaranteeing environmental
standards.
“The GreenVETAfrica project will also help to close the existing skills
gap and shortage of professional figures, capable of supporting a twin
(green and digital) sustainable transition. It will design and pilot an
innovative VET programme, that will cater for the demands of the market,
while helping to mitigate the brain drain from the two African
countries, and reduce the risk of illegal and unsafe migration of
youth”, he stressed.
He stated that LAWMA would work closely with the partners, to ensure
that the project objectives were achieved, adding that the project would
foster official accreditation of the GVA VET programme, by both Nigeria
and Ghana authorities, to promote the learners’ employability, to
increase local employment opportunities.
Odumboni remarked that the nomination marked a watershed in the agency’s
efforts at establishing the culture of environmental sustainability in
Lagos State, especially through its educational arm, LAWMA Academy, as a
veritable tool to effectively impart knowledge of proper waste
management.
