Yobe, UNDP partner to boost waste management in Damaturu

From Muhammad Maitela, Damaturu

The Yobe State Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has launched a new initiative to strengthen waste management in Damaturu through the expansion of doorstep waste collection and improved support for informal waste collectors.
The initiative was unveiled during a Consultative Stakeholders’ Workshop on Enhancing Waste Management Capacities in Yobe State, organised by the state government and UNDP with support from the Yobe Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons and Host Communities (SOLID) Project.
Declaring the workshop open, the Secretary to the Yobe State Government, Dr. Mohammed Goje, stressed the importance of effective waste management in promoting public health, environmental sanitation, and the well-being of residents.
According to the Director of Information at the Yobe State Ministry of Information, Culture and Home Affairs, Ali Musa Yawale, the workshop brought together government officials, development partners, waste management stakeholders, traditional and religious leaders, and other key actors to assess the current waste management system and identify practical solutions for improvement.
Speaking at the event, UNDP representative Ismail Bunkar said the intervention was being implemented under Activity 4.2 of the Japan-funded project, titled “Accelerating Recovery of Affected Communities from Security and Humanitarian Crises in the Northeast.”
He explained that the programme would support the Yobe State Government in expanding doorstep waste collection services by replacing informal pushcart waste collection with electric collection tricycles under an earned-ownership model.
Bunkar added that the intervention would also include a public awareness and behavioural change campaign aimed at encouraging residents to adopt proper waste disposal practices.
According to him, the initiative would not only improve waste collection services but also strengthen the livelihoods of informal waste collectors by providing them with more efficient and sustainable tools.
A major highlight of the workshop was the presentation of findings from an assessment of the Enhanced Integrated Waste Management System in Damaturu by the SOLID Project Coordinator, Alhaji Suleiman Dauda.
The assessment provided an evidence-based analysis of the existing waste management situation in the state capital and is expected to serve as a guide in identifying priority areas for future interventions.