Coca-Cola Foundation Boosts Nigeria’s Plastic Waste Management

A grant has been awarded to the Growing Business Foundation by the Coca-Cola Foundation to strengthen Nigeria’s plastic waste management value chain.

The award was designed to improve the largely informal plastic waste collection, aggregation and recycling process in Nigeria done through Coca-Cola Foundation’s Empowering Collectors Initiative

This was disclosed by Alfred Olajide, the Managing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, who said this on Monday in Lagos during the launch of the initiative.

He explained that the programme will run for about 24 months and its objective is to boost the environmental resilience by preventing the flow of plastic waste to waterways and landfills through an aggressive and organised system that targets about 25,000 MT of waste.

Saadia Madsbjerg, the President, Coca-Cola Foundation, explained that the aim of the initiative is to create an economic ecosystem that supports environmentally beneficial actions and also provides women with skills and training in the waste management value chain enabling their economic empowerment and in turn improving quality of life for their families.

Ndidi Nnoli- Edozie, the Founder, Growing Business Foundation appreciated Coca-Cola Foundation for the Empowering Collectors Initiative, saying it would impact every aspect of the value chain.

“We are passionate about uplifting and empowering communities as we believe that we can make a difference in the poverty situation across the country.

"With ECI, we are set to significantly impact the economically vulnerable, help in promoting a circular economy, and ultimately drive down the cost of doing business.”

According to her, 3,000 female collectors and micro aggregators across six states of Nigeria, will be empowered through the initiative representing key hubs where increased urban migration and economic activity coupled with a poor waste management system has exacerbated the waste concerns in the country.

“Target participants will receive training on effective and efficient collection methods, and hygiene skills while working in the waste and will also receive materials including PPE to ensure their safety.

“The program seeks to help participants through their transferable skills program, to improve the earning capacity of the women by 200 per cent from current earnings of about $2 a day.”