The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it will be hosting the State’s Circular Economy Hotspot 2023 (LCEH2023), a platform to foster co-creation and highlight cities and societies transition towards circular economy.
The two-day event, which will hold between July 26 and July 27 in Victoria Island, will emphasise the need to turn waste to wealth so as to create economic value for the state.
The Circular Economy Hotspot is an initiative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
At a news conference on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Omobolaji Tajudeen Gaji, said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had on 2nd December, 2020, organised a Roundtable on Circular Economy, bringing together all stakeholders, businesses, and citizens on this journey towards a resourceful and waste-free economy.
Gaji said since the roundtable, citizens and businesses had continued the conversation on how to utilise the waste and resources in Lagos with the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at the heart of this discussion as well as industry.
He explained that to demonstrate government’s commitment, a Technical Working Group on Circular Lagos was constituted with the objective of driving the framework and a roadmap for the transition.
“With all these activities and interactions, the Lagos Circular Economy Hotspot avails us the opportunity to highlight how Lagos State is transitioning towards the circular economy and how our businesses and citizens are co-creating innovation.
“This initiative will also allow us to deepen the conversation as we build on our climate adaptation policy, our 30-year Lagos Development Plan, and the role of each and every stakeholder in building a sustainable city,” he stated.
Gaji added that Lagos, as a sub-national in the forefront of creating models for development which other States and cities in Africa emulate, is at it again as the first host of this laudable event on Africa.
“The Circular Economy Hotspot has previously been hosted in Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Catalonia Spain, and Dublin, Ireland this April.
“We desire that the Lagos Circular Economy Hotspot will highlight the critical role the SMEs play in driving innovation, fostering sustainable solutions, and driving entrepreneurship,” he said.
One of the participants in SMEs at the conference, Adejoke Lasisi who deals in conversion of pure water sachets and other plastic waste to bags, expressed satisfaction with the support from the Federal Government over the initiative.
She disclosed that the company, with not less than 21 workers, had been making waves in entrepreneurship through conversion of waste to wealth.
