LAWMA reaffirms plans to tackle youth unemployment, makes GREENVETAFRICA project nominations list

Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has been nominated as one of the four African partners in the GreenVETAfrica project, according to a release from the authority.

GreenVETAfrica project is an Erasmus+ project funded, by the European Commission, seeking to integrate unemployed youth and vulnerable groups into the labour markets in Nigeria and Ghana, by offering technical and entrepreneurial training on green waste management.

The Green Waste Management and Micro Entrepreneurship Vocational Education Training project, aims to contribute to the twin transitions (Green and Digital), in alignment with the ambitious environmental objectives of the European Green Deal and the Europe – Africa strategic partnership.

Commenting on the nomination, the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, noted that it was delightful that LAWMA was a part of the project, as it aligned with the Authority’s mandate of providing and efficient and sustainable waste management system in Lagos State.

Odumboni said in a statement signed by the authority’s Director of Public Affairs Mrs Folashade Kadiri that, “LAWMA is committed to promoting a sustainable environment and a circular development model that will transform linear economy into a circular one.

“This project aligns with the agency’s vision to promote sustainable development and create job opportunities for the youth in Lagos, Nigeria. “As a responsible waste management authority, LAWMA believes that waste is a resource and can be transformed into a valuable asset.

“The GreenVETAfrica project will equip young Nigerians with the skills to manage waste sustainably, promote a circular economy, and reduce the negative impact of waste on the environment’, he said.

He noted further that, as one of the beneficiaries of the GreenVETAfrica project, LAWMA would strengthen its training capacities to offer a green waste management vocational training programme to young Nigerians, adding that, through innovative digital tools, the programme would equip young Nigerians with the necessary skills to reduce waste and pollution, making better use of waste generated, and guaranteeing environmental standards.

“The GreenVETAfrica project will also help to close the existing skills gap and shortage of professional figures, capable of supporting a twin (green and digital) sustainable transition.

“It will design and pilot an innovative VET programme, that will cater for the demands of the market, while helping to mitigate the brain drain from the two African
countries, and reduce the risk of illegal and unsafe migration of youth”, he stressed.

He stated that LAWMA would work closely with the partners, to ensure that the project objectives were achieved, adding that the project would foster official accreditation of the GVA VET programme, by both Nigeria and Ghana authorities, to promote the learners’ employability, to increase local employment opportunities.

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Odumboni noted that the nomination marked a watershed in the agency’s efforts at establishing the culture of environmental sustainability in Lagos State, especially through its educational arm, LAWMA Academy, as a veritable tool to effectively impart knowledge of proper waste management.