The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has initiated discussions with the Rwandan High Commission in Nigeria to explore potential partnerships in the area of environmental sustainability, with a particular focus on plastic waste management.
Dr. Innocent Barikor, Director General of NESREA, met with officials from the Rwandan High Commission in Abuja, expressing the agency’s interest in learning from Rwanda’s success in combating plastic pollution. NESREA hopes to exchange knowledge and adopt best practices, leveraging Rwanda’s notable progress in the field.
In a statement released on Tuesday, NESREA highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to fostering a Circular Economy and its ongoing efforts to ban single-use plastics.
Dr. Barikor emphasized that Nigeria, through NESREA, is actively pushing for growth in this sector, and the agency sees Rwanda’s achievements as a model for future initiatives.
“We are looking to learn from Rwanda’s experiences in tackling plastic pollution. Our aim is to share expertise, build capacity, and integrate Rwanda’s practices into our own national framework,” Dr. Barikor said.
The NESREA DG also commended Rwanda for its remarkable dedication to environmental sustainability and innovation, thanking the government for supporting NESREA staff through study visits aimed at capacity building.
He stressed the importance of high-level collaboration between both nations in environmental protection and sustainable management.
Ambassador Christophe Bazivamo, the Rwandan High Commissioner to Nigeria, acknowledged the significant challenge of tackling plastic pollution and expressed Rwanda’s readiness to work with Nigeria to address environmental issues.
He underscored that sustainable development is impossible without prioritising effective environmental protection.
Both parties agreed that tackling environmental issues should be a key priority for any government, and the discussions marked a promising step towards deeper collaboration between the two countries in promoting environmental sustainability.
