EU, German govt, supports FG in validation of national battery management policy
By PHILIP CLEMENT
The European Union (EU) and German Government, within the framework of the Nigerian Energy Support Programme, have supported the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnv.) to validate the National Waste Battery Management Policy.
The Policy which was developed in collaboration with several stakeholders in the sector, during several
technical meetings and roundtable discussions, establishes the national standard of best practices for waste
battery management in line with the provisions and recommendations of the Basel and the Bamako Conventions and other related guidelines for the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of hazardous
waste.
Speaking at the validation event, the Honourable Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammad Mahmood
Abubakar said, ‘the new National Waste Battery Management Policy will support the Nigerian Government’s
efforts to ensure the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste batteries resulting from the
accelerating use of renewable energy solutions, such as solar mini-grids to promote energy access in
unserved or underserved areas in the country.”
Underlining the importance of the new policy, the Head of Section, Economic Cooperation and Energy at the
European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Inga Stefanowicz noted that “this policy will
promote the practice of battery waste disposal in accordance with international standards. It will help address
the environmental concerns of economic development based on technological advancements, such as in
renewable energy or digital sectors”.
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The validation event provided an overview of the objectives of the policy, the obligations of various
stakeholders along different levels of the value chain to manage waste batteries in an environmentally sound
way and the institutional framework for the policy implementation.
The Head of Programme, NESP, Mr Duke Benjamin noted that “this milestone will go a long way in regulating the activities of the battery waste disposal industry, greatly reducing the release of toxic chemicals in the atmosphere and on surface and ground water”.
To ensure sustainability in policy implementation, NESP will continue to provide technical support and training
to various battery recycling facilities in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment.
