LASEPA Trains Youths on Used Cooking Oil Collection

The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) commenced a two-day capacity-building program aimed at training waste pickers, market women, and youths on the safe collection and management of used cooking oil. This initiative, which began on Thursday at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Alausa, Ikeja, seeks to equip participants with practical knowledge and skills to handle used cooking oil properly, thereby creating new income opportunities.

A total of 23 youths, including speakers of Hausa and Yoruba, participated in the first day of the program. Alhaji Suleiman Adama, the General Secretary of the Waste Picker Association of Nigeria (WAPAN), described the initiative as a milestone in Nigeria's waste management sector, emphasizing the need to redefine the role of waste pickers in environmental sustainability.

The program is the first of its kind to focus on used cooking oil, aiming to improve public health and provide an additional income source for unemployed youths.