On Friday the 20th of October 2017,a training workshop on the

“Environmentally Sound Management of Used Lead Acid Batteries and the Application of the Benchmarking Assessment Tool in the context of implementing the Basel Convention” was held at the Ibis Hotel, Murtala Mohammed Int’l Airport Road, Lagos.

The Workshop was organized by Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Nigeria (HBS) in conjunction with the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of Nigeria (REDIN).BCCC-Africa provided expert technical support at the Workshop.   

The training brought together participants from the Federal Ministry of Environment, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria, Oko-Institute, Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for the African Region (BCCC-Africa),Clean Technology Huband selected operators within the Used Lead Acid Battery (ULAB) sector.

The objectives of the workshop were to:

·         Have a step-down training on how the Benchmarking Assessment Tool(BAT) can be used and applied during plant inspections to assess the environmental, safety and occupational health performance of any ULABoperation from battery collection through transportation to recycling.

·         Expose regulators in the Nigerian environment space, as well as CSOs on the use of the International Lead Association’s(ILA’s) BAT, so as to establish an ESM practice that conforms to the Basel Convention on ULAB recycling in Nigeria.

·         Enlighten informal ULAB operators on best ESM practices; as well as expose them, to regulators and field inspectors’ expectations, hence improving ULAB management in Nigeria.

·         Drive ULAB and renewable energy investors into adopting responsible measures for the battery collection, management and recycling business.

·         Develop a framework that Initiates the process of policies or laws that would facilitate regulation for ULAB management in Nigeria.

In July 2017, Dr. Gilbert Adie, Research Associate of the BCCC-Africa had participated in a 4-day workshop in Ghana,organized by the EnvironmentalProtection Agency of Ghana (Ghana EPA) in conjunction with Sustainable RecyclingIndustries (SRI), International Lead Association (ILA) and the Oeko Institute. At this workshop, Dr Adie learnt skills on the application of the BAT in ULAB recycling management. The workshop organised in Lagos in October 2017 was designed to step down this knowledge for application in Nigeria.

Presentation were made on:

(i) the Basel Conventions (representative of the Federal Ministry of Environment)

(ii) ULAB recycling: risks, opportunities and improvement options, (Dr Gilbert Adie of BCCC-Africa  & Mr Adreas Manhart of the Oko Institue)

(iii) the Benchmark Assessment Tool (Dr Gilbert Adie of BCCC-Africa  & Mr Adreas Manhart of the Oko Institue)

(iv) Framework for an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for the ULAB sector (Mrs Miranda Amachree – Director, NESREA)

The presentations were followed by group work on ULAB policy, EPR and other issues related to the ULAB sector in Nigeria.