Sahara foundation opens 23rd recycling hub at Ikeja Air Force base
- Sahara Group Foundation has opened its 23rd recycling hub at Sam Ethnan Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos.
- The foundation says the scheme has recycled over 1,000 tonnes of waste and supported more than 2,000 livelihoods.
- Air Force and Ikeja Electric officials at the launch backed the push for better waste management.
Sahara Group Foundation has opened another recycling collection point, this one inside Sam Ethnan Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos. It is the 23rd hub under the foundation's Sahara Go Recycling programme.
The foundation, which handles the corporate social responsibility work of Sahara Group, said the base will take in recyclable materials and give people around it a way to earn from waste. The idea is to turn rubbish that would otherwise litter communities into something with resale value.
Chidilim Menakaya, a director at the foundation, said the project fits the group's wider goals on the environment and on livelihoods. She said the hub shows communities can take responsibility for the environment while also making money from it.
"Through collaboration, innovation and community participation, we are driving long-term environmental impact while improving livelihoods," she said at the launch.
Why it matters for residents
Waste collection is a daily headache in many Lagos neighbourhoods, and scrap pickers already make a living from sorting plastics, cans and paper. Hubs like this one give them a fixed place to sell and sort, and the foundation says the programme has handled more than 1,000 tonnes of recyclable waste since it began.
According to the foundation, the scheme has also supported over 2,000 livelihoods, directly and indirectly, through collection, sorting, transport and small businesses built around recycling.
Air Commodore M.A. Imam, commander of the 651 Base Services Group at the base, praised the investment and said growing communities need joint efforts to deal with their waste.
Kingsley Okotie, head of corporate communications at Ikeja Electric, said the power company was happy to partner on the project. He restated Ikeja Electric's commitment to sustainable partnerships, steadier power supply and the welfare of customers and host communities.
The launch drew Sahara Group and foundation staff, Air Force officers, community leaders, volunteers and residents.
The foundation said it plans to keep expanding the recycling programme as part of its push to build sustainable communities.
