The Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation has reiterated its commitment to alleviating poverty by using waste recycling processes to create jobs for women-focused Non-Governmental Organisations across the State.
Speaking at a workshop held at the Women Development Centre, Agege, with the theme: “Waste-to-Wealth: A tool to Eradicate Poverty”, Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs. Cecilia Bolaji Dada, stated that the significance of the event was to initiate a progressive solution in the area of converting waste products into consumables in a bid to ensure the socio-economic development of women in the State.
Dada, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Oluyemi Kalesanwo, stressed the importance of recycling for global entrepreneurial development amongst women, saying: “Lagos State, with a high population, generates 13,000 metric tonnes of municipal wastes daily, thereby making the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), to dispose of about 7,000 tonnes of solid waste a day, across four landfill sites in the State”.
“The call for action is necessary to groom a generation that is equipped with the tasks to imbibe positive changes for generating less waste by creating reusable consumables, recycling of waste as well as processing valuable resources derived from waste products”, she added
While enumerating various developmental strategies, Dada opined that the waste products which emanate from wood, agriculture and weeds, if properly recycled, could be used to manufacture affordable value-added panel products, which have proven to be suitable alternatives for sawn timber and other wood products.
In her remarks, Mrs. Keji Ajakaye, a farmer and Co-ordinator of Extra-Large Farms, implored the participants to embrace farming as a means of livelihood, explaining that women are of vital importance to rural economies because they are responsible for up to 80 per cent of food production in developing countries.
Also speaking, Mrs. Jirinsola Ladipo-Okunbanjo, a representative of LAWMA, enjoined the participants to operate the “PAKAM” application, which can be downloaded from the online application stores to bridge the gap between recyclers and customers.
She said: “Once you register, a wallet is opened, after which you can request a truck and a recycler close by, which will attend to you by weighing the waste and calculating the incentives”.
Mrs. Ladipo-Okunbanjo re-emphasised the importance of recycling as part of the State Government’s focus, using a partnership with privately-owned recycling companies to alleviate poverty, increase prosperity and provide employment opportunities for the citizenry.