Plateau, Tearfund Launch 2026 Solid Waste Management Framework
By Comfort Pius, Jos
The Plateau State Government, in collaboration with Tearfund, has launched the 2026 Solid Waste Management Framework to tackle growing waste management challenges, promote environmental sustainability and create economic opportunities through recycling and other green initiatives.
The framework was launched on Tuesday at Crispan Hotel, Jos, with key stakeholders drawn from government, development organisations, civil society, faith-based institutions and the private sector in attendance.
Welcoming participants and delivering his opening remarks, the Commissioner for Environment, Climate Change and Mineral Development, Hon. Peter Kanang Gwom, described the framework as a significant step towards addressing the state’s waste management challenges through a coordinated and sustainable approach.
Gwom stressed the need for collective responsibility, noting that effective waste management required the active participation of government, residents, businesses, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
In her remarks, the Country Director of Tearfund Nigeria, Mrs. Regina Afiemo, said the framework was designed to ensure that environmental conservation and economic growth went hand in hand.
She said the initiative went beyond hygiene and sanitation, as it also focused on economic empowerment, sustainable livelihoods and environmental protection, particularly for vulnerable members of society.
According to her, the framework represented a shared moral and civic commitment to protecting the environment, safeguarding public health, restoring environmental dignity and creating sustainable economic opportunities.
“Economic growth and environmental conservation do not need to be apart. It actually needs to go hand in hand,” Afiemo said.
She described Plateau State as a place of extraordinary natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and human potential, but noted that rapid urbanisation and historical infrastructural gaps had created pressing waste management challenges requiring bold and coordinated action.
Afiemo said Tearfund’s partnership with Plateau State dated back to the early 2000s and had covered areas including peacebuilding, community mobilisation, disaster resilience, WASH, healthcare and livelihoods.
She said the organisation had also worked with the state government to develop the first strategic plan for the Plateau State Peacebuilding Agency and delivered the 2021 Green Growth Strategy alongside the Programme Management and Results Delivery Office.
According to her, the new framework seeks to move the state away from conventional waste disposal towards a circular economy that reduces pollution, promotes innovation and creates sustainable green jobs.
She said the framework was also aligned with national climate priorities, including the National Climate Change Policy 2021–2030, the Climate Change Act, the Extended Producer Responsibility Framework and the Nigeria Circular Economy Roadmap.
Afiemo further said the framework formally recognised informal waste pickers as essential actors in environmental and climate solutions.
She called on the Plateau State Government to demonstrate strong political will, provide adequate budgetary allocation and strengthen institutions responsible for implementing the framework.
The Secretary to the Plateau State Government, Arch. Samuel Nanchang Jatau, who represented Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang at the event, said the administration was committed to initiatives that would improve the environment and the wellbeing of residents.
The governor’s representative stressed the importance of citizens’ participation in maintaining a clean environment, noting that government alone could not solve the state’s waste management challenges.
Speaking on the implementation of the framework, a state government official said the administration had examined previous waste management initiatives that failed to produce sustainable results before developing the new framework.
“ This time around, we had to dig deep, carry everyone along, and come up with a framework that we believe is sustainable and will work because we carried everybody along,” he said.
He disclosed that the state government had signed an agreement with the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), which would provide recycling equipment to support waste management activities in Plateau State.
According to him, the equipment would include sorting and compressing machines for plastics and other waste materials that could be recycled and reused.
He said the state government would provide land for the facility, while an operator already working in Plateau State would be selected to manage the operations under supervision.
On waste disposal sites, the official said the framework would provide for the reorganisation and rehabilitation of existing dumpsites.
He identified the waste disposal sites at Miango and Giel as facilities that would be revamped and put to better use.
On what the framework would mean for residents, another government official said it would contribute to cleaner cities, improved public health and greater tourism potential for the state.
“It means a cleaner city, a better city, a tourist heaven, keying into the Orange Economy,” he said.
He added that the initiative demonstrated government’s concern for the health and welfare of residents while giving citizens, civil society organisations and other stakeholders an opportunity to participate in governance.
He urged residents to take responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean, particularly by clearing drainage channels and avoiding indiscriminate disposal of waste.
He said the government was also considering initiatives to encourage residents to beautify their streets through landscaping, tree planting and other environmental improvement projects.
According to him, competitions could be organised among streets, with incentives for communities that demonstrate outstanding environmental management.
He said the concept was based on the principle that if individual households and communities took responsibility for their immediate surroundings, the collective result would be a cleaner city.
The launch of the framework is expected to strengthen collaboration among government institutions, private sector operators, development partners, communities and informal waste actors in addressing solid waste management across Plateau State.