Nigeria Circular Economy Week opened in Lagos with a call for action from the government, partners, and industry to turn waste into value and create jobs, while embedding circular practices across the economy.
At the event, stakeholders from government, finance, development partners and private firms outlined plans to align policy, investment and innovation with a circular growth model. The week is focused on the theme: “Turning Challenges to Markets” and turning waste streams into economic inputs.
Esiri Agbeyi, chairman of the Circular Business Platform, said the platform aims to build an ecosystem that links research, missions and programmes to support sector businesses. “The core of our mission is to focus on creating value, moving from challenges to markets,” she said. She urged participants to ask what they can contribute to circular practices in their communities and sectors, stressing that the meeting must be action-oriented.
The week is hosted by the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Lagos State Government, with support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands and other partners. Delegates include development agencies, banks, non-governmental groups and investors.
Speaking at the opening, Bengt-van Loosdrecht, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Nigeria, said the Nigeria Circular Economy Programme, commissioned by the African Development Bank, targets agriculture, energy, waste and industry. He stated that Lagos has been selected as a pilot for circularity and noted the growing cooperation with the European Union and national partners.
He also raised concerns about the ease of doing business, citing visa delays faced by entrepreneurs. “Trust starts with the ease of doing business. And that starts at the border,” he said, urging practical steps beyond meetings and pledges. He added that Nigeria’s energy and drive should attract more investors and innovators.
Representing the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMENV), Mahmud Adam Kambari, Permanent Secretary of FMENV, said Nigeria stands at a crossroad as growth and globalisation increase pressure on resources and the environment. The ministry announced the launch of a Circular Economy Investment Fund platform, developed with partners including the Netherlands and development finance institutions, to mobilise private capital for circular projects.
The ministry outlined four pillars: turning waste into resources, designing for sustainability, enabling responsible consumption, and promoting innovation and green investment. Officials said the goal is to shift from policy to practice and scale circular businesses across states and local councils.
Lagos State also set out its direction. Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner of Environment, representing Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, said the state is moving away from a linear system that treats waste as junk. “We don’t see it as waste. We see it as a resource for wealth, energy, compost and fertiliser,” he said. He noted policies to ban certain single-use plastics and efforts to scale recycling and biogas projects that convert food waste into gas and fertiliser.
On flood control, the commissioner said infrastructure works and enforcement against building on wetlands have reduced the impact of flash flooding in recent months, though heavy rain will still occur. He called on residents to stop dumping refuse in drains and to take ownership of waste practices.
At the federal level, Bahijjahtu Abubakar, Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, FMENV, said the week marks a shift from talk to implementation. She said the circular economy can become a contributor to national output if waste is treated as a tradable input. She urged banks to create circular economy desks to fund small and medium firms and support innovations that recover value from waste.
“We need to ensure that Nigerians see waste as a resource and a money-making venture,” she said, adding that clean segregation at source will raise the value of recyclables and attract buyers.
During the session on driving value creation, Niels Van Den Hoek, co-founder and director of SweepSmart, and Phillips Obusesi, president and chief executive director of Sweep Foundation, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ogun State on waste management collaboration. Presenting the initiative, Van Den Hoek described Lagos dumpsites as a “human and environmental disaster” and said, “we come to give you a solution for low-value mixed waste.” The partners outlined plans to recover recyclables, produce RDF fuel and process organic waste, while seeking funding for feasibility studies and job creation.
In the same session, Siemen Brinksma, co-founder at Biosphere Solar, and Clement Anifowose, managing director of Ecoflux, signed an MOU with Abia State to deploy circular solar panels. Brinksma said the model enables panels to be disassembled and recycled at end of life, while Anifowose noted that the system would allow solar swaps and traceability across Nigeria’s value chain.
Oiza Nicholson, Managing Director of Perazim Impact Consulting, and Temitope Runsewe, Managing Director of SageGrey Finance Limited, with the Circular Business Platform, unveiled a $10 million Impact Investment Fund to back enterprises building circular economy solutions across Nigeria.
The partners released the capital to support ventures focused on waste use, resource recovery and community impact. The fund is now open and businesses can apply for investment to scale operations, create jobs and expand services. Applications will be assessed on merit and alignment with the circular economy focus set by the partners. This offers a route for founders to seek finance.
