Lagos State Government has hosted the Project Completion and Achievements Dissemination Event for Project 240236 titled Emergency Capacity Building of Informal Food and Water Vendors and Waste Workers in Flood Affected Lagos to Combat Cholera Outbreaks at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja.
Delivering the keynote address, the Honourable Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the intervention was initiated in response to the June 2024 cholera outbreak during which Lagos recorded 579 suspected cases and 29 fatalities.
He explained that the project was sponsored by the Government of Japan under the development framework of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in collaboration with the Lagos State Government through the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency.
According to Wahab, Japan provided a grant of 225,000 dollars to support structured environmental health programmes targeted at informal food and water vendors and waste workers in flood prone communities.
He stated that between April 2025 when the capacity building campaign commenced and now, Lagos State has not recorded any new cholera outbreak, attributing the outcome to sustained advocacy, sensitisation and technical training delivered under the programme.
Providing details of implementation, the Commissioner said sensitisation campaigns were conducted across eight flood prone local government areas namely Ikorodu, Alimosho, Lagos Island, Ojo, Kosofe, Lagos Mainland, Badagry and Ikeja, reaching 1,054 beneficiaries made up of 623 women and 431 men.
He added that 452 informal food and water vendors and waste workers were trained and equipped with knowledge on hygiene standards, safe food and water handling procedures and effective waste management practices.
Wahab expressed appreciation to the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Hideo Suzuki, and to the UNIDO Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Philbert Johnson, for their roles in the successful implementation of the project.
In his address, the UNIDO Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Philbert Johnson said the 12 month emergency capacity building initiative was conceived at a time of urgent need following the 2024 cholera outbreak which recorded over 1,660 suspected cases in Lagos by mid year.
He noted that the project moved from planning to tangible impact through training of trainers, field implementation and direct engagement with informal operators across affected local government areas.
Johnson said more than 500 informal food and water vendors and waste workers benefited from sensitisation and targeted trainings, adding that the project also strengthened preparedness through the provision of rapid test kits, laboratory reagents and water purification materials.
According to him, sustainable industrial development cannot occur in environments weakened by preventable health crises, stressing that equipping informal sector operators helps protect supply chains, preserve livelihoods and reinforce economic resilience.
Also speaking at the event, the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Hideo Suzuki said cholera remains preventable with proper hygiene, sanitation and community awareness.
He recalled Japan’s experience with a devastating cholera epidemic in 1858 which claimed over 30,000 lives in Tokyo, noting that strict hygiene measures such as disinfection, isolation and avoidance of large gatherings helped certain communities record minimal deaths.
The Ambassador stated that in 2024, Nigeria recorded over 77,000 cholera cases across 31 states with 359 deaths, with Lagos accounting for more than 20 percent of cases, underscoring the need for strengthened response mechanisms in high density urban areas.
He said Japan funded the project to strengthen Lagos State’s emergency response by empowering informal food and water vendors and waste workers through gender sensitive training and provision of essential tools, adding that Japan remains committed to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to build resilience against infectious diseases.
Earlier in his welcome address, the General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Tunde Ajayi said LASEPA, as the implementing agency, engaged directly with informal operators in the eight affected local government areas.
He said field assessments revealed persistent sanitation gaps and unsafe environmental practices in rural, riverine and flood prone communities, reinforcing the urgency of structured sensitisation and sustained public health advocacy.
The General Manager assured stakeholders that lessons from the project would be integrated into LASEPA’s ongoing advocacy and enforcement programmes to sustain progress in preventing water borne diseases and strengthening environmental compliance across Lagos State.
The event brought together government officials, development partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders to review outcomes of the intervention and reaffirm commitment to a cleaner, safer and cholera resilient Lagos.
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