By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has introduced a cooperative-driven framework aimed at bringing informal waste workers into Nigeria’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system as part of efforts to strengthen environmental sustainability and economic inclusion.
Director-General of NESREA, Innocent Barikor, announced the initiative during a virtual stakeholder sensitisation programme on the Cooperative-Led EPR Model as a Formalisation Strategy for the Informal Sector.
A press release by the Assistant Director of Press at NESREA, Nwamaka Ejiofor, said the model is designed to organise informal waste collectors, recyclers and sorters into structured cooperatives that would enable them access legal recognition, financial inclusion and social welfare opportunities.
Barikor explained that the framework seeks to improve participation in Nigeria’s waste management ecosystem by providing informal operators with governance support, digital onboarding systems, environmental compliance mechanisms and traceability platforms.
He noted that the proposed Cooperative Passport framework would also facilitate access to financial literacy programmes, health insurance, equipment leasing and enterprise support, while helping workers transition into the formal economy.
Chief Steward of the Nigeria Environmental Stewardship Cooperative Society (NESCOOP), Peter Ayim, described the cooperative-led model as a practical pathway toward building an inclusive circular economy in Nigeria.
According to Ayim, the framework is expected to tackle challenges faced by informal waste workers, including economic vulnerability, lack of formal recognition, occupational hazards, poor safety conditions and social exclusion.
He added that countries such as Brazil, Colombia, India and South Africa, as well as member states of the European Union, have successfully adopted similar cooperative-led systems to integrate informal waste actors into formal EPR structures.
Stakeholders at the virtual meeting included the Recyclers Association of Nigeria, Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance, E-Waste Producers Responsibility Organization of Nigeria and Rural Women Energy Security, among others.
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