Don advocates inclusive waste policy to boost economy

From Felix Ikem, Nsukka

A Professor of Environmental Management and Sustainability in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Chidi Nzeadibe, has urged the federal and state governments to develop an operational policy framework that will reposition the informal sector for economic prosperity.

He made the call in Nsukka on Thursday when he delivered the university’s 243rd inaugural lecture titled: ‘Dealing with Waste: Expounding the Geographies of Garbage in African Cities Through the Lens of the Sustainable Development Goals.’

He said a robust policy framework for the informal economy would strengthen Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM), noting that the sector plays a critical role in engaging stakeholders and sustaining waste-based livelihoods.

The don described MSWM as the systematic administration of activities associated with waste generation, storage, collection, transportation, processing and disposal.

He stressed that effective management is vital for public health, environmental protection and sustainable development.

“Acknowledging the informal economy through a well-structured policy framework is the first step towards developing an MSWM policy that involves primary stakeholders and non-state actors.

“Such an inclusive policy will not only help Nigeria overcome its garbage crisis but also unlock economic value from waste and sustain vulnerable livelihoods,” he said.

Nzeadibe advocated taxation of new products and subsidisation of recycled products to encourage recycling and material reuse.

He also recommended buy-back schemes, legislative reforms, source-separation programmes and public-private partnerships in waste management.

He maintained that the shift from waste management  to resource management requires mainstreaming the informal economy, describing it as economically efficient, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of UNN, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Michael Onyia, said inaugural lectures marked the formal induction of newly promoted professors into the university’s academic community.

The high point of the event was the presentation of a plaque and certificate to Prof. Nzeadibe.