By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The UK government has given Nigeria £16.2 million grant to tackle plastic pollution.
The British High Commission in Nigeria, in a statement in Lagos on Friday, said the grant, from UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund, would help tackle plastic pollution and decline of global coral reefs in Nigeria, Ghana, Indonesia and Vietnam.
UK’s Environment Secretary, George Eustice, said the Blue Planet Fund would also support many developing countries on the front line of climate change to reduce poverty and improve the health of their seas.
The Punch reports that the Head of Climate Change and Energy, West Africa, Sean Melbourne, expressed delight that Nigeria had joined Ghana to begin pioneering the vital work against plastic waste in West Africa.
According to the UK High Commission, the programme, financed from the UK’s overseas aid budget, will increase marine protection and tackle plastic pollution.
It said that marine pollution, including plastic pollution, is a significant pressure on the marine environment, threatening key species and ecosystems in the world’s ocean and also affecting the health and livelihoods of those living in coastal regions.