Ogun selected by UNIDO for pioneering sustainable development initiative

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The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation has designated Ogun State as one of Nigeria’s core states to drive the country’s transition to a circular economy, citing its environmental sustainability initiatives and climate change programmes.

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The recognition places Ogun among the states implementing Project 220145 Component 2, which is designed to advance Nigeria’s green and just transition to net-zero emissions through circular economy initiatives.

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Announcing the development on Thursday while declaring open a UNIDO workshop on the State-Level Implementation Plan and Guidelines on Data Collection and Management under the Used Off-Grid Renewable Energy Equipment Waste Management Project in Abeokuta, the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, described the recognition as an endorsement of the state’s environmental policies.

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He said, “The UNIDO recognition of the state as one of the core states under Project 220145 Component 2… adds to the various achievements in climate change programmes and circular economy projects.”

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According to Oresanya, the latest recognition follows a series of environmental interventions by the state government, including the distribution of biomass smokeless stoves to more than 3,000 residents in partnership with the Federal Government to reduce carbon emissions and cushion the rising cost of cooking gas.

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He said Ogun was also among the first states to deploy electric motorcycles and compressed natural gas buses as cleaner alternatives to fossil fuel-powered transportation.

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“The state government was one of the first in the country to adopt and launch thousands of electric bikes and compressed natural gas buses, which offered eco-friendly alternatives to traditional vehicles’ over-reliance on fossil fuel, thereby reducing carbon emissions,” Oresanya said.

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The commissioner added that the state’s environmental initiatives also include the Blue Box waste segregation scheme, the Plastic for Cash recycling programme, community recycling projects, cement industry decarbonisation initiatives and senatorial material recovery centres, all aimed at promoting resource recovery, reducing pollution and creating green jobs.

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He urged participants at the workshop, drawn from government agencies, academia, the private sector and civil society, to contribute meaningfully to the development of a robust implementation framework for the renewable energy waste management project.

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Responding, the National Field Coordinator of the UNIDO Nigeria Office, Emem Umana, commended Ogun State for its commitment to circular economy initiatives.

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She urged the state government to sustain its environmental and socio-economic reforms, saying its achievements had earned it international recognition and positioned it as a model for other states pursuing green development initiatives.

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