NIGERIA NAMED TOP FOOD WASTER IN AFRICA

The European Union, along with the Federal Government and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, has called for urgent action to end food waste and promote sustainable consumption and production.

This was disclosed in a statement by the EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS on Monday.

They noted that when food is wasted, the water, energy, and labour that went into producing it are also wasted, while accelerating climate change and undermining global efforts to build a zero-waste circular future.

Zissimos Vergos, Deputy Ambassador, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, while Speaking in Abuja, during the commemoration of this year’s International Zero Waste Day, with the theme “Food waste reduction – minimisation and valorisation,” disclosed that Nigeria wastes roughly 38 million tonnes of food every year, more than any other country on the African continent.

The Nigerian government has initiated efforts to tackle food waste, including developing a Circular Economy Roadmap and establishing an Interministerial Circular Economy Committee. Vergos shared three key lessons from the EU’s experience: investing in rural infrastructure, promoting value-added products, and incorporating zero-waste education into school curricula.