By Abdullahi Lukman
Esuk Otu community in Cross River State has been declared the winner of the Empower Communities for Plastic Sustainability (ECPS) contest, taking home a cash prize of N3 million after outperforming eight other communities from three Nigerian states.
Sharifai in Kano Municipal, Kano State, secured second place with a prize of N1.5 million, while Akum Shango in Niger State finished third, winning N700,000.
The awards were presented at a ceremony in Abuja, organised by the Young Advocates for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future (YASIF).
The event gathered key stakeholders from the environmental and sustainability sectors—including government officials, development partners, civil society organisations, and media—to address Nigeria’s mounting plastic waste crisis.
Themed around empowering rural communities for a green economy, the event featured keynote remarks by Mrs. Rita Idehai, founder of Ecobater, who stressed the need to connect sustainability with economic opportunity.
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A panel discussion followed, with representatives from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme, and the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), who explored ways to link grassroots actions with national policy to drive plastic waste solutions.
Speaking at the event, YASIF’s programmes and training manager, Lauretta Jimba, said the ECPS project, supported by the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), aims to spark community-led innovations in waste management and climate action.
She noted that YASIF has trained over 1,200 women, youth, and people with disabilities in creative plastic repurposing, including turning PET bottles, tyres, and sachets into functional products.
Dr. Priscilla Achakpa, founder of the Women Environmental Programme (WEP), called for stronger collaboration to integrate informal waste workers into formal recycling systems.
She highlighted her organisation’s efforts in training and registering waste pickers in partnership with the Abuja Environmental Protection Board and the federal environment ministry.
Mrs. Falmata Bukar of the Federal Ministry of Environment, represented by engineer Kalu Lawrence Okechukwu, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to partnering with organisations like YASIF to combat plastic pollution and promote sustainable practices nationwide.
With Nigeria generating an estimated 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually—second only to India—the ECPS initiative highlights the critical role of grassroots innovation in creating a cleaner and more inclusive environmental future.
