The GreenVETAfrica workshop took place at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday 18th September, and it was an insightful look into what is happening in the waste management eco-space, industry interventions as well as Area’s participation in it.

The GreenVETAfrica Erasmus+ project, co-funded by the European Commission aims at promoting sustainable waste management practices by designing vocational education and training (VET) programs for youths to improve their employability skills for financial stability and career satisfaction whilst promoting environmental sustainability and circular economy practices.

As part of Area’s expertise to promote innovation in areas of twin transition (digital and green), we partnered with Whizzy Academy, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Pan Atlantic University, Asociación Mundus, Federazione CNOS-FAP and Presbyterian Relief Services and Development, a consortium of both Africa and Europe. With us as the coordinator, the project has been a major catalyst for developing training programs in waste management in Africa with LAWMA contributing its existing training capacity to train over 100 students in both Ghana and Nigeria.

Co-organiser and Head, Climate Change and Diplomacy at the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Ms Elizabeth Ademola gave an insightful presentation on efforts taken by the project to promote Green waste and fill the skill gaps in this sector. Industry expert sessions also had  Mr Waliu Balogun Chief Executive Officer at Polysmart Group and co-founder, Circularity Africa Limited Mr Seunfunmi Ogungbure speak on Green waste management current trends as well the financial possibilities.

The event which was held in Lagos had our marketing manager, Ms. Margherita Trestini in attendance to speak on the goals and objectives of the GreenVETAfrica project since it kicked off in January 2023.

She highlighted how only through collaboration between vocational training schools, pedagogy experts, digital innovation hubs, and waste management experts, it was possible to design innovative training curricula which is part of the project exploitation. The content of this training is now available as open-source material on the Smart Step platform e-learning platform for VET trainers and learners across Africa.

To enhance this initiative, Area will kick off in January 2025 a new ERASMUS+ project, CircuWasteVETAfrica focused on circular waste management, and engaging partners from Angola, Sao Tome, and Namibia. This project will be an extension of the successful GreenVETAfrica project, building on its success by introducing a circular economy approach in its methodology. The aim is to promote the production of goods from recycled materials, driving sustainable practices further.