40 young Nigerians in the waste management industry were, on October 2 – 29, 2019, trained by Lagos Business School (LBS) on innovative and sustainable methods of waste collection, removal, processing, recycling and disposal.
Developed by the Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre with support from the Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation, the Leadership Programme for Sustainable Waste Management is an entrepreneurial platform for sustainable youth empowerment in mitigating the environmental and health implications of improper waste management. It also aims at improving the operational and financial viability of waste management businesses.
The one-month programme was delivered by LBS faculty and other local and global experts in the private and public sectors. Participants were exposed to topics such as Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Waste Management, Circular Economy and Waste Prevention, Socio-Environmental Impact in Waste Management, Human Capital Sustainability in Waste Management, Duty of Care and Extended Producer Responsibility, among others.
The Director, LBS Sustainability Centre, Prof Chris Ogbechie remarked that “the programme aims to support young entrepreneurs in Nigeria to create socio-economic value and address pressing environmental challenges through responsible business ventures. This programme is one of the ways LBS advances environmental sustainability through management education.”
Sharing his experience on the programme, participant, Alexander Akhigbe who is the founder of the African Cleanup Initiative, described it as an investment he will forever cherish. Akhigbe also added that one of the key takeaways from the programme was the lesson on personal branding delivered by LBS Marketing Faculty, Dr Uchenna Uzo.
“I have learned about the significance of personal and organisational branding and the need to develop products and solutions that target a particular market per time. I am mostly impressed because I never imagined that I would be picking up lessons in branding and marketing from a waste management programme. This goes to show how rich the content of the programme was,” said Akhigbe.
Lessons on the Sustainable Waste Management programme were taught using in-class and online lectures, expert panel sessions, and case study discussions. Participants also had a one-day experiential one learning tour at the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) facilities in Ojota and Ikoyi.
A participant, Jennifer Paul who runs an environmental project in Yola, Adamawa state described the programme as “excellent, insightful and capacity-building”. She says it has spurred an interest in her to expand the scope of her project beyond Yola to other parts of the state. The Leadership Programme for Sustainable Waste Management attracted entrepreneurs and start-ups from 11 states across Nigeria.
ACT Foundation is a grant-making organisation established in 2016, as a national and regional non – profit organisation working to address challenges and associated vulnerabilities across the African Continent. The foundation is 100% funded by Access Bank Plc with an independent board and has the vision to leverage relationships to create effective social impact solutions across Africa. ACT Foundation has over 1500 non-profits within its network across Africa and also has various strategic collaborations with private, public and social organisations.
LBS Sustainability Centre brings together theory and practice on sustainability, builds leadership skills and supports constructive dialogue and collaboration between business, government, civil society and academics to find solutions to critical sustainability challenges
