Lagos State has signed a waste management agreement with ZoomLion Nigeria Limited, a branch of Ghana’s Jospong Group of Companies, to overhaul the city’s waste system. The deal, signed under a public-private partnership, was formalized during a ceremony led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Jospong Group Chairman, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, at the State House in Alausa, Ikeja.
The agreement covers the construction of two major facilities: a material recovery plant and a recycling plant. These will help Lagos manage the 13,000 tonnes of waste it generates daily more efficiently. As part of the plan, Transfer Loading Stations (TLS) will be set up at the Olusosun site in Ketu and the Solous III site in Igando. Each site will be decommissioned once the stations become operational. Waste from Olusosun will be moved to a new facility in Ikorodu, while waste from Solous III will be processed in Badagry. Combined, these stations will redirect 4,000 tonnes of waste each day.
To improve waste collection in narrow or hard-to-access areas, self-tipping tricycles will also be introduced. All these projects are expected to be completed within 18 months.
Governor Sanwo-Olu described the initiative as a breakthrough for the state, saying it marks the beginning of a cleaner, more efficient system. He noted that the project would generate more than 5,000 jobs and improve the performance of existing waste operators.
The governor also pointed out that the system will allow Lagos to recycle everything from food waste to plastic and glass, transforming what used to be trash into useful materials. This approach opens new avenues for income from carbon credits, biofuels, and biodiversity.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the move would shift Lagos from a throw-away culture to a circular economy where waste creates value. He emphasized that the project passed all legal and executive reviews before approval.
Dr. Agyepong praised the collaboration as a step forward for African partnerships and promised timely delivery of all agreed projects.
