AHK Nigeria

Like many large cities in Africa, Lagos is struggling to deal with the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) that the city generates. Although the state government and private companies have taken steps to address this challenge, the overall effects have been minimal due to a general lack of coordination. This piecemeal approach is not appropriate given that Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world (by population).

The creation of a centralized digital marketplace is one possible solution to enable coordination among stakeholders in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the circular economy. When fully functional, the marketplace is similar to an eBay for recyclable materials. This is because the digital marketplace provides a platform for independent third parties along the circular economy value chain to offer and find recyclables and other waste for sale or purchase free of charge. The marketplace is accessible via USSD/SMS, mobile phone applications or website. In the short term, the marketplace increases the number of businesses in the midstream sector and strengthens the overall circular economy. The project included:

Work Package 1 (Feasibility Study - and Resource Mapping): The study examined the business case for implementing the digital marketplace. The studies also established local value chains within the circular economy by listing potential recyclates and identifying potential local buyers.

Work Package 2 (Digital Marketplace Development): This phase involved the creation of the digital marketplace. The functions of the marketplace were determined by the results of Work Package 1.