News
Coca-Cola Foundation Champions Marine Plastic Collection through RESWAYE Project
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the shores of almost every country in the world. While the immediate impact of the virus has been felt in major cities, the economic impact of the pandemic spreads quickly to rural areas.
In Nigeria, there has been significant economic impact for many, especially those living in the rural communities.
A ripple effect of the Coronavirus disease is the drastic increase in the use of plastic, the main component in hand sanitizer bottles, takeout containers and other products central to our new way of life, following the lockdown restrictions. This has further exposed the lapses in waste management and recycling.
As a result of the New World Project of The Coca-Cola Foundation titled RESWAYE (Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment), much-needed comfort has been brought to these vulnerable communities through a Plastic buy-back scheme across 16 coastal communities in Ibeju Lekki. With considerable joy, these low-income communities exchanged their plastic for cash during a recent outreach led by Doyinsola Ogunye, founder of Mental and Environmental Development Initiative for Children (MEDIC).
MEDIC, the implementing partner of the RESWAYE project, is an NGO focused on building a sustainable environment and oceans through improved education and job creation for more resilient communities.
They stand for growth and are passionate about their work with communities, especially in areas around plastic pollution, recycling and empowering women & youths along the Atlantic coast in Lagos, Nigeria.
This has brought hope to the women and youths in these communities who earn decent wages from these recovered plastic bottles to better support their families in these challenging times.
Every year, eight million metric tons of plastic finds its way into the ocean, this is equivalent to a truckload of plastic being dumped into the ocean every minute.
This waste poses a clear and present danger to marine life, as well as coastal communities that are forced to deal with plastic bottles washing up on their shores.
The RESWAYE initiative buys back recyclable materials from women and youths to encourage a cleaner, more sustainable environment.
Amongst the 16 participating communities in Ibeju-Lekki, a total of over 72,000 kilograms of recyclable plastic waste materials have been recovered across Eti-Osa and Ibeju-Lekki communities in Lagos state.
Remarking on the initiative, Sebidat Sam, the Women Leader for the Okun Ise, Ibeju-Lekki community said “Na good thing, with this we clean the environment and also collect money to take care of our family”.
Speaking on behalf of The Coca-Cola Foundation, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, public affairs, Communications & Sustainability Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, said, “By partnering with NGOs such as RESWAYE, Coca-Cola aims to develop an effective recycling system that meets the unique needs of local communities, making recycling more accessible for everyone while also encouraging the economic empowerment of women and youths”.
The giveback program also featured an education drive, a medical outreach and a financial empowerment program. With children and youths out of school due to closures mandated by the government in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, the education drive provided out-of-school children with books and stationery to facilitate the continuity of education for all through remote learning.
The medical outreach in partnership with the Fola David Foundation provided residents of the communities with face masks and mosquito nets.
The program also created awareness on the importance of good hand hygiene through practical demonstration of best handwashing practices to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Basic financial literacy and account opening exercises were also conducted during the give back program.
Karim Aishat, a beneficiary of the program recalled her initial fear of the coronavirus and how the education she had just received will help her keep her family and community safe.
Speaking on working with the coastal communities, Doyinsola Ogunye, founder of MEDIC said, “Seeing our network of women and youth recyclers protect the shorelines and coastlines of Lagos state as they gather plastic waste has been deeply fulfilling.
“Economically empowering the women and youths during these turbulent times as they continue to preserve the environment is paramount”.
Coca‑Cola’s “World Without Waste” vision fosters collaboration with multiple stakeholders, including partners, government and civil societies like MEDIC, and promotes continued leadership in packaging waste reduction by helping to collect the same amount of packaging the company sells for reuse by end of 2030.
This vision also supports communities by helping them identify and better understand their existing recycling and collection challenges while engendering a recycling culture amongst residents.
TikTok returned to the U.S. app stores of Apple and Google on Thursday as President Donald Trump delayed a ban on the Chinese-owned social media app and assured the tech giants they would not be fined for distributing or maintaining it.
The popular short video app used by nearly half of all Americans went dark briefly last month, before a law took effect on January 19 that requires its Chinese owner ByteDance either to sell it on national security grounds or face a ban.
The following day, Trump signed an executive order seeking to delay the enforcement of the ban by 75 days, allowing TikTok to continue its operations in the U.S. temporarily.
Although TikTok resumed service after Trump’s assurances, Google and Apple kept the app removed from their U.S. app stores.
TikTok, the second-most downloaded app in the U.S. last year, said on Thursday that its latest app was now available for download.
The delay could have been because Google and Apple were awaiting assurances that they would not be prosecuted for hosting or distributing the app, according to analysts.
Trump’s directive said the companies, which run mobile application stores or digital marketplaces where users can browse, download and update apps, would not face penalties for keeping the TikTok app up and running.
TikTok had more than 52 million downloads in 2024, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
About 52% of its total downloads were from Apple App Store, while 48% were from Google Play in the U.S. last year, Sensor Tower said.
The law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets or ultimately face a ban was signed by then President Joe Biden last April, triggered by national security concerns and fears that China could use the video-sharing app to spy on American users.
The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform and the law that passed last year gives the government sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps. Trump said on Thursday that his 75-day deadline on TikTok could be extended.
The turmoil at TikTok attracted several potential buyers, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, who have expressed interest in the fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion.
Trump has said that he was in talks with multiple people over TikTok’s purchase and would likely have a decision on the app’s future in February.
Federal government has directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) operating in states to close their accounts with commercial banks and fully comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.
Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the Federation,
The directive was issued by Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the Federation, during a working visit to the Federal Pay Office in Benin, Edo State.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Thursday by Bawa Mokwa, director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the TSA policy, Madein warned that no MDA should operate accounts with commercial banks unless expressly approved by the President and officially communicated by her office.
The statement reads:
“While reiterating the Federal Government’s commitment to the Treasury Single Account policy, the Accountant-General of the Federation urged the Federal Pay Officers to monitor and ensure that Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the States do not operate any account with the commercial banks or circumvent any provision of the TSA policy.”
She further stressed that any exceptions must follow strict guidelines, requiring presidential approval and formal communication from the Office of the Accountant-General.
Madein also tasked Federal Pay Officers (FPOs) with ensuring compliance, upholding transparency, and maintaining professionalism in their financial operations.
She warned against actions that could undermine the integrity of the Federal Treasury and emphasized the need for accurate financial record-keeping.
As part of ongoing reforms, she revealed that the Federal Government is constructing new Federal Pay Offices in some states to address infrastructure and operational challenges.
She assured that her office remains committed to the welfare of its personnel while enforcing compliance with financial regulations, including the Public Procurement Act and the Constitution.
Her visit to the Benin Federal Pay Office was part of a nationwide tour to assess the operations and challenges of Federal Pay Offices across the country.
National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) is investigating the development of biocatalysts from underutilised bioresources through its Young Researchers Forum (YRF) research group for bioethanol production.
Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, director general, NBRDA sated this in an interview conducted in Abuja on Wednesday
Biocatalysts, which can be either bacteria or enzymes, are biological entities that accelerate chemical reactions.
An alcohol-based fuel derived from renewable resources such as plants and algae is called bioethanol. It can be blended with petrol or used in place of it to cut down on petroleum use.
He asserted that bioethanol is crucial and that Nigeria has the means to fully investigate its possibilities, noting that the production of bioethanol will be helpful in setting up bioethanol plants.
“However, the catalyst for the fermentation of sugar to produce ethanol is what we are after, and we have it locally.
“When we isolate the biocatalyst, it is going to be useful in helping to establish a bioethanol factory, which will function very well due to our varying weather conditions,’’ he said.
Bioethanol has similar uses to fuels used to generate other classes of energy like heat, motor power, transportation, and electricity, the NBRDA chief added.
According to him, bioethanol is the most widely used biofuel in modern civilisation, and the process of turning biomass into bioethanol is receiving a lot of attention.
“Biological energies are renewable fuels with minimal pollution and play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas pollution, and one of them is bioethanol, which is obtained from fermentation operations.
“The world’s attention to the use of bioethanol as an energy source is focused on reducing the cost of production and increasing the efficiency of the ethanol industry.
“By consuming ethanol fuel instead of fossil fuels, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions known to be the cause of global warming will be somehow reduced,’’ Mustapha said.
According to the D-G, the creation of the Young Researchers Forum (YRF) demonstrates the agency’s efforts to support nation-building.
He added that young biotech innovators chosen from across the agency’s departments will use the conference as a training ground and launching pad.
The YRF, according to Mustapha, was a manifestation of his wish to establish an institutional framework for mentoring that would close generational divides.
He stated that one of the projects the YRF would concentrate on was the development of biocatalysts for the manufacture of bioethanol.
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