A British investor and Chief Executive Officer of Hinckley E-Waste Recycling Ltd, Adrian Clews, on Wednesday, disclosed that Nigeria remains the second highest producer of electronics waste in Africa, with the generation of 200,000 electronic wastes annually.
He disclosed this during a press briefing organised by the state government at the Olusegun Osoba Press Centre, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, that the country is coming after South Africa.
Clews explained that the electronic wastes are left on dump sites across the country, submitting that the development posed a significant threat to the health of the people and the environment.
At the media briefing which had in attendance the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery; the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya; the Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Investment, Mr Adebola Sofela; Ms. Sola Arobieke, the Director General of Ogun State Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency and the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Media and Strategy, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, Clews, explained that with the support of Manufacturing Africa, an initiative of UK government, a $5m Lithium-ion and lead-acid battery recycling plant is being established in the state.
Clews added that no fewer than 100 direct jobs would be created with the establishment of the plant.
“Nigeria generates electronic wastes of over 200,000 tonnes every year and these are left on the dump sites across the country which poses a significant threat to the health of the people and the environment.
“So at Hinckley, it was an excitement to take it upon ourselves to establish Africa’s first Lithium battery recycling plant here in Ogun state which is supported by Manufacturing Africa under the British government.
“The lead in the battery is a heavy metal that is quite dangerous to the health of the people, unfortunately, there is a large informal sector that is recycling these batteries, we need to raise the standards considerably and that is one of the reasons for the investment.
“The $5m investment with state-of-the-art facilities is expected to have been completed within the next 12 months.”
Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya, lauded the initiative saying that the state has always been at the forefront of managing productively its environmental waste,” Clew added.
Montgomery said the establishment of the plant is part of the UK government’s effort to invest and make life more meaningful to the people.
He said the British government would not relent in exploring every investment opportunity to advance the socio-economic well-being of Nigerians.
Oresanya said for instance, the state is the headquarters of recycling in Nigeria recycling more than 1400 metric tonnes of plastic bottles on a daily basis, with about four big factories that are into such business.
He added; “For ferrous and non-ferrous metals, we recycle close to 1300 tonnes in a day, the companies are around the Sagamu-Ogijo axis of the state, and for papers, we do about 1400 metric tonnes of that as well. We have about 780 people who are aggregating into this venture and it has continued creating jobs”.
He disclosed that there are already seven companies that are into recycling of batteries in the state assuring Hinckley E-Waste of necessary support that will enhance their successful operation in the state.
The Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Investment, Adebola Sofela said that the government would continue to create an enabling environment and improve on ease of doing business to facilitate more investment both within and outside the country.
