Climate Stakeholders Seek Action Against Marine Pollution

Stakeholders in the environmental and climate sectors have called for stronger partnerships, increased public awareness and sustained action to tackle climate change, plastic pollution and marine waste in Nigeria.

The call was made at the second edition of the African Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Film Festival (ASFF 2026), organised by Chanja Datti Limited in Abuja to promote sustainable development through films, documentaries and creative storytelling.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Technology and Operations, Olamide Fagbuji, urged government institutions, businesses, development partners and communities to intensify collaboration in addressing environmental challenges.

Fagbuji stressed the need to translate climate advocacy into practical interventions, noting that environmental degradation, flooding, rising temperatures and drought pose significant threats to communities and livelihoods.

He urged Nigerians to become more conscious of their environmental responsibilities and embrace sustainable practices that would protect the environment for present and future generations.

The festival’s convener and Founder of Chanja Datti Limited, Ms. Olufunto Borofice, said the initiative was designed to harness the power of visual storytelling to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, celebrate African culture and inspire young people to champion sustainable development.

She disclosed that film entries increased by almost 20 per cent, while youth registrations nearly doubled compared with the previous edition, which attracted over 700 physical attendees and reached more than 47,000 people digitally.

Borofice described films as powerful tools for environmental advocacy, capable of highlighting the plight of affected communities, influencing policy decisions and inspiring practical solutions. She called for improved waste disposal practices and greater commitment to plastic recycling.

Representing the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Zainab Kabiru Yusuf, Assistant Chief Scientific Officer, Pollution Control and Environmental Health Department, emphasised the importance of collective action in tackling marine pollution. She also commended Chanja Datti Limited for its contributions to environmental sustainability and waste management.

Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC), Bankole Oloruntoba, highlighted the PROTEGO Project, an initiative involving the centre, WASTE Africa, Adelphi and the German government to prevent waste from entering the oceans.

He said the project, which involves the Federal Government and the Lagos and Cross River State Governments, promotes sustainable waste management and seeks to reduce marine pollution.

Oloruntoba said community engagement in Ajegunle had recorded encouraging progress, with residents increasingly recognising the connection between indiscriminate waste disposal and ocean pollution. He added that traditional leaders and young people had embraced the initiative, while pilot interventions were underway to deliver measurable waste-reduction results within a year.

He also praised Chanja Datti Limited for transforming waste into useful products, describing such efforts as essential to developing Nigeria’s circular economy.

The Sustainability Manager of Nestlé Nigeria, Chinwe Obi, described the festival as an important platform for promoting environmental responsibility, noting that films provide an effective means of communicating complex environmental challenges and encouraging behavioural change.

Obi reaffirmed Nestlé Nigeria’s support for the festival, stressing that creative storytelling could reach wider audiences and inspire responsible waste management and the protection of water bodies.

The Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) was represented by Engr. Chukwudi Nwabuisiaku, Deputy Director, Inspection and Enforcement Department, while the Project Director of Adelphi, Germany, Mr. Paolo Facco, also participated.

The 2026 festival, themed “Amplifying Voices for a Sustainable Future,” seeks to expand environmental advocacy across Africa and mobilise governments, businesses and individuals towards achieving the SDGs through recycling, proper waste disposal and sustained action against marine pollution.

PROTEGO is the headline sponsor of ASFF 2026, while WASTE Africa and NCIC are implementing partners for the PROTEGO Project. Nestlé Nigeria is a strategic partner, with the festival powered by Chanja Datti Limited.