Nigeria is on course to becoming a regional leader in Circularity and Sustainability, though the State of Circular Economy (CE) in Nigeria is budding and needs to be driven. The status as one of the world's largest young populations and projections of population explosion without responsible consumption is an awakening to creating economic growth, development and shared prosperity via a pragmatic approach and commitment by all stakeholders.

At the Federal level, there are discussions on the implementation of frameworks, policies, strategies, plans, programmes and projects as such, currently witnessed is the AfDB/ Federal Ministry of Environment led Nigeria Circular Economy Working Group (NCEWG) with the objective of developing a roadmap for a National CE transition. By joining forces with other Africa Countries and being a pioneer member of the Africa Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA), Nigeria has shown commitment to transit to a CE Ecosystem.

There are Circular Champions emerging-the commercial capital of the Nation - Lagos State has decided to imbibe the Principle of CE as discussed at the Roundtable on CE-Circular Lagos in November 2020. One year later, The Circular Business Platform Lagos (CBPL) with support from the Consulate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Circular Lagos project and an Innovation challenge with support from GIZ is underway to further drive adoption and transition to CE. This one feat has also opened up several discussions about CE investment and private sector leadership on Circularity towards achieving SDGs. The private sector, a key stakeholder in the CE transitory phase has taken active measures to complement government efforts by forming consortiums such as the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) to address waste generation, creating an accountability framework and ensuring effective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation. The current ecosystem also consists of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and startups that provide solutions in plastics waste management, the built environment, textiles, and agriculture. The future of a Circular Nigeria is undeniable with the existence of the building blocks of strong political will, concrete policies and willing and enthusiastic stakeholders.

Oluwakemi Ajakaiye,

ACEN Nigeria Chapter Lead