Yobe, UNDP Launch Initiative to Improve Waste Management in Damaturu

From Muhammad Maitela, Damaturu

The Yobe State Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has launched an initiative to improve waste management in Damaturu through expanded doorstep waste collection services and enhanced support for informal waste collectors.

The initiative was unveiled at a Consultative Stakeholders’ Workshop on Enhancing Waste Management Capacities in Yobe State, organised by the state government and UNDP under 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, emphasised the importance of effective waste management in promoting public health, environmental sanitation and the overall well-being of residents.

According to the Director of Information, 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 relevant actors.

He said the participants reviewed the existing waste management system and explored practical measures to address identified challenges and improve service delivery across the state capital.

Speaking at the workshop, UNDP representative Ismail Bunkar said the intervention was being implemented under Activity 4.2 of the Japan-funded project, Accelerating Recovery of Affected Communities from Security and Humanitarian Crises in the Northeast.

Bunkar explained that the programme would support the Yobe State Government in expanding doorstep waste collection by transitioning from informal pushcart collection to electric waste collection tricycles under an earned-ownership model.

He said the intervention would also feature a public awareness and behavioural change campaign to encourage residents to adopt proper waste disposal practices.

According to him, the initiative is designed not only to improve waste collection and environmental sanitation but also to strengthen the livelihoods of informal waste collectors by providing them with more efficient and sustainable equipment.

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 review of the existing waste management situation in Damaturu and is expected to guide the identification of priority areas for future interventions.

The collaboration between Yobe State and UNDP is expected to contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment in Damaturu while supporting sustainable livelihoods among waste management workers.