Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria) is a professional, non-governmental, non-profit think tank dedicated to environmental health research, advocacy, and action.
Through evidence-based research, policy advocacy, capacity building, and strategic partnerships, SRADev Nigeria works to improve environmental health, strengthen environmental governance, and foster the sustainable management of natural resources. The organisation facilitates knowledge exchange, builds bridges of understanding among stakeholders, and supports practical solutions to pressing environmental challenges.
At the heart of SRADev Nigeria’s approach is the belief that sustainable development can only be achieved when local communities are empowered to lead. By placing people at the centre of environmental decision-making and action, the organisation helps communities become active participants in protecting their environment and securing a healthier, more sustainable future.
SRADev is a member of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and is one of the implementing partners of the GAIA-led Methane Reduction in Nigeria (MAMRN) Project, a major zero-waste and climate-action initiative focused on diverting organic waste from open dumpsites and landfills.
In this piece, we spoke with Jeremiah Ato, Policy/Technical Manager at SRADeV Nigeria, about their work as a partner in Lagos and Abuja.
We are glad to have you join us, Jerry. This project spans several cities in Nigeria and involves different organisations, but with the same goal.
Can you share insights into best practices for collaborating with other organisations in Nigeria?
Effective collaboration with other organisations in Nigeria is strongest when it is built on clarity, trust, and shared ownership. A key best practice is defining roles and responsibilities from the outset, agreeing on who leads, who supports, and how decisions are made. This helps prevent duplication of effort and minimises conflict, particularly in coalition-based initiatives involving civil society, government agencies, and international partners such as GAIA.
Successful collaborations also require a shared vision and a unified voice, while respecting each partner’s unique expertise, mandate, and comparative advantage. Regular communication, structured coordination meetings, joint planning, and transparent information sharing strengthen relationships, maintain accountability, and keep partnerships focused on meaningful, sustainable impact.
Could you share some perspective on the current waste crisis in Nigeria and how this project aims to address it?
Nigeria is facing a deepening waste crisis driven by rapid urbanisation, population growth, and an over-reliance on open dumping and poorly managed landfills. Major cities like Lagos and Abuja generate thousands of tonnes of waste daily, yet waste collection, segregation, and treatment systems remain inadequate. As a result, large volumes of organic waste decompose in open dumpsites, releasing methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas that is over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in the short term. Beyond climate impacts, poor waste management also contributes to flooding, air and water pollution, public health risks, and the loss of livelihoods for informal waste workers operating without protection or recognition.
Despite existing national policies and Nigeria’s commitment to the Global Methane Pledge, implementation gaps persist. These include weak coordination across institutions, policy fragmentation, limited capacity at national and subnational levels, low public awareness, and insufficient integration of zero-waste and circular economy principles into mainstream waste management practices.
This project directly responds to these challenges by tackling waste-related methane emissions through a multi-solving, systems-based approach. It strengthens the enabling environment for sustainable waste management by supporting evidence-based national and subnational action, building the capacity of decision-makers and municipal actors, and promoting waste segregation, recycling, and organic waste diversion.
By combining research, stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and strategic media engagement, the project aims to shift waste management away from disposal-heavy practices toward low-methane, people-centred solutions.
Ultimately, the project seeks to reduce methane emissions at source, improve environmental and public health outcomes, and position waste as a resource rather than a liability while supporting Nigeria’s broader climate commitments and advancing a just transition for communities most affected by the waste crisis.
Do you have a personal milestone or favourite moment in this project so far?
A key milestone has been contributing to early national conversations on methane reduction from the waste sector, particularly by helping elevate waste as a climate issue rather than just a sanitation concern.
Obviously, methane emissions from the oil and gas sector have gained more attention at the global and national level, with National Action Plans setting clear reduction targets for methane; however, the reverse seems to be the case for the solid waste sector, owing to the complexity of waste.
Therefore, being part of the process that links zero-waste solutions to Nigeria’s methane and developing a National Action Plan for methane reduction from the dumpsite (which could be used to update the current NDC commitments) has been especially meaningful.
What is the path forward for your organisation and possible next steps from this project?
For our organisation, the following are the next steps for this project:
1. Develop a draft advocacy toolkit and training materials.
2. Conduct capacity-building workshops for policymakers and municipal leaders in Lagos.
3. Hold a Stakeholders’ Validation Workshop for the National Action Plan in Abuja.
4. Organise media briefings and engagements, jointly coordinated by our Lagos and Abuja offices.
We have seen these key themes emerge in this project (Organic Waste Management, Infrastructure Development, Waste Picker Integration, Capacity Building and Awareness Raising, Local Government Engagement, National Policy Advocacy and Emissions Monitoring. Could you share experiences (as applicable) on any of these topics within this project so far?
I will speak on the National Advocacy Plan. Within this project, our work has focused on strengthening the alignment between sustainable waste management and Nigeria’s climate commitments.
Through stakeholder mapping and strategic engagements with the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Climate Change Matters, we have helped elevate waste-related methane emissions as a key national climate priority.
A significant milestone has been the ongoing National Low-Methane Desktop Study, which is identifying policy gaps, institutional overlaps, and opportunities to strengthen the integration of low-methane waste management solutions into national policy frameworks, including the National Action Plan and Nigeria’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0). The study is also generating evidence to support more coherent policy development and informed decision-making.
These engagements have underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration, evidence-based policymaking, and stronger institutional coordination to advance methane mitigation in the waste sector. They have also created opportunities to promote zero-waste and circular economy approaches as practical, climate-smart solutions that can support Nigeria’s environmental and sustainable development goals.
