The Ekiti State Government in partnership with United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) has trained 47 Environmental Health officers in order to equip them with the Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT) in Waste data collection as Ado Ekiti officially joined the African Clean Cities Platform
Speaking at a training session on the Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT) held in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Environment, Erelu Tosin Aluko-Ajisafe, emphasized the importance of effective waste data collection for the state development
She said that the training is a critical move towards achieving a cleaner Ekiti, and urged participants to apply the knowledge gained to support Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s efforts in making the state safer for all residents.
According to the Commissioner ,the United Nations (UN) has noted a rising trend in Nigeria’s waste output, which mirrors increasing waste challenges across Sub-Saharan Africa
The representative from UN-Habitat, Mercy Achieng Odhiambo stressed that the WaCT training would equip Environmental Officers with the tools to assess waste generation, identify stakeholders, and develop data-driven waste management strategies.
Odhiambo also pointed out that the impact of waste is disproportionately felt by poorer communities, and effective data collection is crucial for addressing this issue.
The Technical Adviser to the Governor on Lands and eGIS who is also UN-Habitat’s technical support representative, Mr. Akintobi Olusanmi emphasized the necessity of high-quality data for managing waste.
He noted that Ado-Ekiti was selected as one of the three African cities to receive support for the clean city initiative.
‘Having realized the problem of data in Waste management, Ekiti State Government registered with African Clean Cities Platform.They later placed expression of interest and Ekiti applied.I,m happy to inform you that Ado Ekiti is one of the three cities granted the assistance and that is why they are here today to train our Environmental Officers on Waste Wise Cities Tool’ he said.
He said the programme is aimed at training environmental officers on waste measurement techniques for production of data profile that can be presented to intending investors to invest in Waste across the state.
Contributing , the Director General, Development partners, Mr Biodun Oyeleye, revealed that the state is actively seeking accurate waste generation data to attract investors who can transform waste into valuable resources.
“We have substantial waste but lack the data needed to engage investors,”
The Director General Waste Management Authority, Mr Sunkanmi Onipede, said the government has already introduced 20 Dino bins and plans to add 20 more in the nearest future.
According to him, the state’s goal extends beyond data collection to include converting waste to wealth.