By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Lagos Waste Management Authority has commenced a strategic stakeholder engagement with the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria to co-create a comprehensive reform agenda aimed at building a more sustainable, accountable and high-performing Private Sector Participation sector capable of delivering efficient waste collection services across Lagos State.
LAWMA disclosed this in a statement issued over the weekend by its Director of Public Affairs, Mukaila Sanusi, who said the engagement, themed Building a Sustainable, Accountable and High-Performance PSP Sector for a Cleaner Lagos, was held recently at the agency’s headquarters in Ijora-Olopa.
Sanusi explained that the engagement marked the beginning of a participatory reform process through which LAWMA and PSP operators would jointly examine existing operational challenges, develop practical solutions and produce a comprehensive roadmap for repositioning the sector to meet the growing waste management needs of Africa’s largest city.
He said the meeting brought together the leadership of LAWMA and executives of AWAMN to review the current state of waste collection services, identify operational constraints and initiate discussions on reforms that would strengthen efficiency, accountability and long-term sustainability across the sector.
Speaking at the meeting, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working collaboratively with PSP operators to build a modern, resilient and citizen-focused waste management system capable of meeting the expectations of a rapidly growing megacity.
He explained that the engagement marked the commencement of a collaborative reform process designed to ensure the eventual reform programme reflects operational realities and the perspectives of key stakeholders, giving it broad ownership across the sector.
He said the objective was to build a waste management system that is efficient, transparent, financially sustainable and responsive to the needs of Lagos residents, stressing that meaningful reforms can only be achieved through continuous engagement, shared responsibility and collective commitment. He recognised the critical role played by PSP operators in the process.
LAWMA said the stakeholder engagement aligned with the vision of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to build a cleaner, healthier and more resilient Lagos through stronger public-private collaboration, institutional reforms and continuous improvement in waste management operations.
Speaking on behalf of the PSP operators, the President of AWAMN, Dr Olugbenga Adebola, welcomed the initiative, describing the engagement as a significant opportunity to strengthen collaboration between the regulator and operators.
He pledged the association’s full cooperation throughout the consultation process, expressing confidence that the participatory approach would produce practical and sustainable reforms capable of improving service delivery and supporting the long-term growth of the sector.
To guide the ongoing reform process, the meeting identified several priority areas to be developed through the consultative process into a comprehensive reform programme aimed at strengthening the efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness of the PSP sector.
These include performance-based regulation, route rationalisation, financial sustainability, improved payment compliance, fleet renewal, technology-driven service monitoring and enhanced enforcement against illegal waste operators, alongside improved landfill operations, recycling and resource recovery, customer service standards and stronger institutional governance.
To advance the process, the meeting resolved to establish joint technical working groups comprising representatives of LAWMA and AWAMN to refine the proposals, define data requirements, develop implementation options and submit recommendations that would form the basis of the final reform agenda.
