Nigeria’s scrap and waste sector targets on generating five million additional jobs by the end of 2025, the National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria (NASWDEN) has disclosed.
Speaking at the inauguration of NASWDEN’s Caretaker Committee in Abuja recently, the association’s Founding Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT), Alhaji Suleiman Lateef, said the sector, already a major employer in Nigeria’s informal economy, will play an even bigger role in driving job creation and economic growth.
“We have created about 10 million jobs, but we aim to add five million to make it 15 million before the end of this year,” Lateef declared.
He emphasised that NASWDEN members are fully committed to operating within the law and maintaining ethical standards, revealing that a disciplinary committee actively sanctions any member involved in malpractice.
“Our members are law-abiding and we do not encourage vandalism. Any member found culpable is decisively dealt with,” he said.
The newly inaugurated Caretaker Committee, Lateef added, would steer the association toward its delegate conference later in the year.
In his remarks, NASWDEN BOT Deputy Chairman, Mr. Edward Ella, reiterated the association’s zero tolerance for vandalism, stressing that members are vital contributors to Nigeria’s recycling value chain.
“There is no member of NASWDEN that is involved in vandalism. Rather, we create jobs to boost the economy,” Ella said, noting that scrap materials sourced by members feed directly into industries processing iron rods and steel products.
Also speaking, Founding Father Secretary, Mr. Stephen Obayuwana, commended the Minister of Labour and Productivity for supporting NASWDEN’s efforts to stabilize the association and its activities.
Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, Mr. Uko Iwaudofia, pledged to further sanitize the sector and root out illegal practices.
“This is a multi-billion-naira sector which has and is contributing greatly to the economy of the country,” Iwaudofia said. “We remain the primary suppliers to rolling mills in Lagos, Kano, Ikorodu and other industrial centres.”
NASWDEN remains a pivotal force in Nigeria’s recycling and waste management industry. By reducing dependence on imported raw materials and creating sustainable jobs, the association is reinforcing its position as a cornerstone of the country’s informal economy.
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