Envoy Urges Research On Waste-To-Energy

Nigerians have been urged to concentrate on research so as to gain more knowledge on waste management and the technologies on waste conversion to energy.

The Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, Mr. Per Lindgarde who said this while speaking to newsmen at the opening of a  2-day conference on “Sustainable City Development-Waste Management and Waste-to-Energy in Abuja noted that education and research on waste recycling was critical to achieving sustainable energy in Nigeria.

At the conference organised by the Renewable Energy Programme, Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Sweden Embassy Lindgarde said that the growth of every economy would depend on how well its people are able to maximise and recycle waste products into useful resources.

According to him, adequate knowledge on the importance of waste management for sustainable city development is imperative, adding that research, knowledge and awareness were the way forward to a green economy.

He said: “The greatest challenge in this part of the world is improper waste disposal and how to manage the waste for development needs”, pointing out the Swedish government is, however, pleased with the interest the Nigerian society has shown in the area of renewable energy and its ready to partner with Sweden.

The ambassador stated that since Nigeria was determined, it would succeed just as Sweden started from somewhere and in 2010, it was recorded as the first green economy in Europe.

He disclosed that the University of Boras in Sweden had signed a Memorandum of Understanding  (MoU) with five universities in Nigeria focusing on renewable energy sources, adding that so far, some Ph.D students have left from the University of Lagos to study and conduct research on renewable energy in Sweden.

“I commend the Lagos State Government because they have been doing very well in the collection and management of waste”, the ambassador stressed and advised universities involved in the partnership to ensure that they imparted the knowledge on others to ensure the sustainability of the programme.

He underscored the need for awareness creation on the economic importance of proper waste disposal and management at all levels.

The universities involved are Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa, Lagos State University, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka and Michael Okpara University, Umuadike Abia State.

Shedie Okpara