Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided the equipment needed for the conversion process of the Municipality of Niamey carrying out waste management projects in Niger.
Being in the less developed countries list according to United Nations data, Niger is one of the leading countries affected by hunger, poverty, drought, and terror along with pollution. In the country, where solid waste management, garbage collection and raising awareness of public services are insufficient, it is common to see garbage dumps, especially in the central parts of big cities.
With the environmental and air pollution, these dumps are increasing the mosquito population and the risk of illnesses. On the other hand, as the plastic waste created in Niger are mostly recycled products, they cannot be “re-recycled”.
The municipality of Niamey, within the scope of the projects started with the “Niamey Zero Waste” motto, gathers the plastic and derivatives, and produces products such as paving stones by reprocessing these items that cannot be recycled with various materials.
These paving stones contribute to the economy by being used in main road pavements and central refuges of Niamey.
TİKA provided the Municipality of Niamey with extraction, melting and molding machines, tricycles to help carry the waste from distant areas of the city, barrows, boiling tubs, molds, work clothing, protective masks for harmful gases, protective glasses and boots needed for these waste recycling processes.
The provided machines are increasing the paving stone production capacity of the Municipality of Niamey from 500 stones a day to approximately 2000 and enable the production of paving stones in different forms.
Türkiye’s Ambassador to Niamey, Özgür Çınar; TİKA’s Coordinator in Niamey, Tanju Polat; Niamey Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, Oumarou Moumouni Dogari and Chief Physician of the Niger-Türkiye Friendship Hospital, Rezzan Sümeli attended the equipment delivery ceremony.
In his ceremony speech, Ambassador Çınar stated that Türkiye always try to be there for Niger people and continue to share their experience on waste management with Niger.
TİKA’s Coordinator in Niamey, Polat, mentioned that the equipment will make a great contribution to the Municipality of Niamey Conversion and Transformation workshop, which is active and producing paving stones from plastic waste, and TİKA will continue to be there for Niger people with different contented projects.
Niamey Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, Dogari, thanked Türkiye for their support for Niger on waste management and mentioned that he hopes the cooperation between the two countries will continue ever-growing.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).