BY DOYIN ADEOYE
STAKEHOLDERS with
the Word Bank inclusive, has called for more Private Sector Participation (PSP)
in the issue of Solid Waste Management (SWM), noting that the Oyo State
government is ready to raise wealth from the tons of filth in the state capital.
This
call was made recently at an investors’ round table meeting held at the Kakanfo
Inn, Ibadan, where opportunities for revenue generation were clearly stated for
private partners in SWM activities in Ibadan.
In
a chat with Ecoscope, World Bank representative, Salim Rouhana said: “The Oyo State
leader, Governor Abiola Ajimobi and his team, brought to our notice that solid
waste management is a big problem in the state, not only on the pickup, which a
lot of effort has been made since he came on board, but also in the areas of
transfer, wealth creation, job creation and proper disposal.
“The
impact of SWM goes beyond what we see on the street which is visual, there are
also health implications. That is why a responsible action on SWM is extremely
important. The Oyo State government is aware that the private sector can have
an extremely important role to play in SWM, so we have been working together on
how private sectors can come on board and how to improve regulations, among
other aspects.”
However,
many are yet to key with the National Environmental Regulations of 2009, which
provides the legal framework for environmental sanitation and waste management;
where it imposes that “the duty of any person whose activities generates waste
to ensure that the waste is handled by a person licensed to transport and
dispose of the wastes in a designated waste management facility.”
The
General Manager, Oyo State Waste Management Authority (OYOWMA), Mr Joseph
Alabi, in his remark noted that in previously held forums, “all stakeholders critical
to solid waste: market women, local governments, community development council,
and the likes, were involved, and we agreed there that generators of waste must
pay for waste management.
“In
all, there are about 23 major markets in Ibadan that are already involved. So
what we are looking at now is the other end of the chain, which is disposal. We
are now encouraging the private sector participation, as Oyo State is ready and
has opened its wings of opportunity to investors to come and partner in all the
chains of investments,” he said.
Executive
Secretary, Oyo State Bureau of Investment Promotion and
Public-Private-Partnership, Mr Yinka Fatoki, also encouraged private sector
partnership, noting that the institution’s policies are favourable to
investors.
Director,
Advisory Services, Ernst & Young Nigeria, Mr Ayodeji Ogunyemi
noted that “the state
government spends about N300million monthly as quoted, which is about
N3.6billion annually on just cleaning up waste. Meanwhile, there are lots of
private sector involvements in places like Lagos, thereby reducing the amount
of money that the government has to spend in collecting waste. There is already
an ongoing private sector partnership, especially in the area of collection,
but a lot more can be done in the areas of waste management and recycling in
Ibadan,” he said.
Mr
Patrick Mwanzia of Practical Action, Urban WASH and Waste Programme, Kenya, and
Mr Joel Tembo Vwira of Business and Services Company, Democratic Republic of
Congo, both at the event, also demonstrated the investment values of SWM in
their various countries.
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