Hauwa Ali
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), has begun the registration of importers of electrical and electronic equipment in Nigeria to regulate and curb electronic waste.
This was disclosed by the Director General of NESREA, Aliyu Jauro in a statement in Abuja on Friday, where he stated that the contents of electronic equipment are a threat to humans and the environment and needs to be checked.
Jauro who was represented by Mr Abdulsalaam Isa, Director, Inspection and Enforcement, said, the agency has inaugurated an Inter-Agency Committee and crafted a guide for importers of used electrical equipment to manage e-waste in the country.
The inter-agency committee comprise officials of NESREA and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to boost the partnership between the two agencies in controlling e-waste.
Jauro stated that the committee would particularly guarantee an e-waste-free environment at the end of the digital switch-over in the country.
“NESREA has taken necessary steps to rid the country of e-waste by developing and operationalizing the National Environmental (Electrical and Electronic Sector) Regulations 2022, revised and ready for gazette.
“NESREA has also developed the Guide for Importers of Used Electrical Electronic Equipment and the registration of importers of electrical, electronic equipment to regulate their activities, Jauro stated.” Used Vehicles to get Very expensive as customs implements new age limit
The NESREA DG also hinted that the agency has collected 300 tonnes of e-waste under the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) funded project as part of efforts to reduce the menace.
Jauro, said the e-waste had been given to the two recyclers under the GEF project.
He said that, under the GEF project, NESREA midwifed the establishment of 30 collection centres in Lagos State.
He said the agency equally upgraded two recycling facilities in the state also and carried out training of government regulators and e-waste value chain.
The NESREA boss said the agency also provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for collectors including informal collectors, formalised over 400 informal e-waste collectors.
”The agency carried out awareness programmes on the project on various media, gazetted the Guidance Document for the implementation of the EPR Programme for the sector in line with Circular Economy,” he said.