By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Over 50 informal waste pickers in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State have received training and personal protective equipment under a programme aimed at improving safety and welfare in Nigeria’s informal waste management sector.
The initiative, implemented by the Ecocykle Development Foundation and funded by the SHE Korean Grant, is part of the Protection, Wellbeing and Empowerment for Waste Pickers (POWER) project.
Executive Director of EDF, Lauritta Boniface, said informal waste workers play a vital role in environmental sustainability but often operate in unsafe conditions with limited access to healthcare.
She noted that the project seeks to reduce occupational hazards, improve healthcare access, raise public awareness and combat the stigmatisation of waste pickers.
Boniface added that beneficiaries have been enrolled in an emergency healthcare scheme developed in partnership with a local healthcare provider to ensure prompt medical support when needed.
She said the project will also foster partnerships with government agencies, healthcare providers and civil society groups, while a documentary and online advocacy campaign will spotlight the contributions and challenges of informal waste workers.
Representing the Nasarawa State Waste Management and Sanitation Authority, Abubakar Ishaq commended the initiative, describing it as a step towards improving waste handling practices and workers’ safety.
Some beneficiaries described the training as transformative, saying it improved their understanding of safe waste collection and the importance of protecting their health while on the job.
The POWER project, which runs from May to September 2026, is being implemented in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Nasarawa State Waste Management and Sanitation Authority, the African Environment Awareness Initiative, YOUPaD and Ecostewards.
