VZCZCXRO4406
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #0560 2200939
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080939Z AUG 07
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9310
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 9099
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHCD/AMCONSUL CIUDAD JUAREZ 0468
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0467
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
UNCLAS LAGOS 000560
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO OPIC
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO TDA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECPS ECON EINV PGOV NI
SUBJECT: USTDA EXPLORES WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECTS WITH LAGOS STATE
REF: LAGOS 522
1. Summary: On a July 16 visit to the Lagos Waste Management
Authority (LAWMA), United States Trade and Development Agency
(USTDA) representatives Enoh Ebong and Pierce Davis and LAWMA
Managing Director Ola Oresanya discussed USTDA's previous grant to
the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, in which LAWMA
participated, and sought avenues for new prospective projects. End
Summary.
2. Oresanya discussed the recent changes in the administration of
LAWMA. The State House of Assembly had recently passed a law
creating a public-private partnership with an eleven-person
executive board, consisting of five members from the public sector,
five members from the private sector, with the eleventh position
reserved for the new position of Managing Director, given to
Oresanya. The House legislation granted LAWMA the authority to
issue permits and licenses for all waste collectors.
3. USTDA recently concluded a technical assistance grant to the
Lagos State Ministry of Environment which was aimed at capacity
building for the development, implementation, and administration of
municipal infrastructure maintenance programs in Lagos. LAWMA was a
participating agency in the activity, which was contracted to Sun
Global, of Michigan. Commenting on the project, Oresanya expressed
some concerns. Sun Global's training tended to be abstract and did
not fully address the needs of the LAWMA managers. The LAWMA
managers would have preferred a training manual with individualized
instruction, but this was not possible, Oresanya said. Oresanya
wanted a better synergy between the trainers and LAWMA, which would
address their needs for technical assistance. USTDA suggested that
in the future a needs assessment and specific benchmarks would
better account for the needs of LAWMA.
4. Training workers on vehicle maintenance was a challenge, Oresanya
said, as the Mack trucks acquired by LAWMA were of excellent quality
but his staff lacked the expertise to properly maintain them. An
expert from the truck companies would be very useful for LAWMA,
Oresanya remarked.
5. On new projects, LAWMA and USTDA discussed industrial and
medical waste collection and disposal. Industrial waste was partly
funded by users' fees which were assessed to factories, Oresanya
said. On medical waste, Oresanya acknowledged that was an issue
because LAWMA could not cover disposal by users' fees. Although
LAWMA charged health clinics a small fee, the small amount and the
inability of some clinics to pay meant LAWMA operated medical
disposal at a loss.
6. Oresanya also remarked one of the problems was a need for more
research and data mining techniques for LAWMA staff. As a
public-private partnership, LAWMA needed to provide a handbook for
contractors which they could use to bid on LAWMA projects. This
would be an excellent way for USTDA to assist LAWMA, Oresanya added.
USTDA promised to pursue these and other project ideas in the
future.
7. USTDA cleared this cable.
MCCONNELL