Gaji with others after the news conference |
The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it will be hosting the State’s Circular Economy Hotspot 2023 (LCEH2023), a platform to foster co-creation and highlight cities and societies transition towards circular economy.
The two-day event, which will hold between July 26 and July
27 in Victoria Island, will emphasise the need to turn waste to wealth so as to
create economic value for the state.
The Circular Economy Hotspot is an initiative of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands.
At a news conference on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary,
Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Omobolaji Tajudeen Gaji, said Governor
Babajide Sanwo-Olu had on 2nd December, 2020, organised a Roundtable on
Circular Economy, bringing together all stakeholders, businesses, and citizens
on this journey towards a resourceful and waste-free economy.
Gaji said since the roundtable, citizens and businesses had
continued the conversation on how to utilise the waste and resources in Lagos
with the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at the heart of this discussion as
well as industry.
He explained that to demonstrate government’s commitment, a
Technical Working Group on Circular Lagos was constituted with the objective of
driving the framework and a roadmap for the transition.
“With all these activities and interactions, the Lagos
Circular Economy Hotspot avails us the opportunity to highlight how Lagos State
is transitioning towards the circular economy and how our businesses and
citizens are co-creating innovation.
“This initiative will also allow us to deepen the
conversation as we build on our climate adaptation policy, our 30-year Lagos
Development Plan, and the role of each and every stakeholder in building a
sustainable city,” he stated.
Gaji added that Lagos, as a sub-national in the forefront of
creating models for development which other States and cities in Africa
emulate, is at it again as the first host of this laudable event on Africa.
“The Circular Economy Hotspot has previously been hosted in
Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Catalonia Spain, and Dublin, Ireland this
April.
“We desire that the Lagos Circular Economy Hotspot will
highlight the critical role the SMEs play in driving innovation, fostering
sustainable solutions, and driving entrepreneurship,” he said.
One of the participants in SMEs at the conference, Adejoke
Lasisi who deals in conversion of pure water sachets and other plastic waste to
bags, expressed satisfaction with the support from the Federal Government over
the initiative.
She disclosed that the company, with not less than 21
workers, had been making waves in entrepreneurship through conversion of waste
to wealth.
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