NESREA trains staff on environmental surveillance

By Faridat Salifu
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has launched a specialized training program for its staff, aimed at strengthening environmental surveillance across the country.
The training, focused on microbial analysis, is designed to equip both NESREA staff and key stakeholders with critical skills to monitor environmental threats effectively.
Participants in the program, drawn from NESREA’s four reference laboratories and officials from the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, received hands-on instruction from leading experts from the University of Ibadan, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), and Management Science for Health.
The initiative seeks to build technical capacity in several key areas, including the collection of environmental samples, laboratory diagnostics, data analysis, and reporting, particularly regarding water, soil, oil spill, and waste management.
A central focus of the training is combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), an issue that has become increasingly urgent in the environmental and public health sectors.
NESREA’s move to upskill its personnel and partners aligns with global efforts to address the growing threats posed by AMR, and marks an important step toward more effective environmental regulation and public health protection in Nigeria.