Following a summit on environmental management, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Environment formed a circularity committee in January to phase out single-use plastics (SUP) within its headquarters and agencies.

One of the first steps of the committee, which the environment ministry said will work with local and international partners, is to implement the country’s circular economy roadmap and drive Nigeria’s path to sustainable and inclusive green growth by 2050. 

According to a West African Coastal Areas Management Program (WACA) report commissioned by the World Bank (www.worldbank.org), Nigeria is the only virgin plastics producer within West Africa’s coastal area, with an output of 498,000 t in 2019. It leans on imports to meet just under two-thirds of its polymer demand, making the country Africa’s largest plastics importer. It is also the continent’s largest oil producer, according to the World Bank.

The WACA report said less than 12% of the roughly 3.5 mn t of plastics waste in the country is recycled, due to a lack of domestic reclaim sites. The country currently has eight plants for the recovery of plastics waste, with another 18 reportedly in various development stages.

The World Bank also noted that three of the 20 top plastics polluting rivers in the world are located in Nigeria.

According to the report, however, the country is making headway in regulating plastics pollution, passing laws on plastics waste management and extended producer responsibility requirements, with a ban on plastic bags currently in the works. The Nigerian state of Lagos started the process of banning styrofoam and SUPs in January 2024.