The National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) and the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) formalized the collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).
The initiative focuses on anaerobic digestion, a process that breaks down organic materials in the absence of oxygen to produce biogas and digestate, which can be processed for other uses.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Abuja on Thursday, NBRDA Director-General, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, said the agency would provide technical support for the partnership.
Mustapha described the conversion of organic waste into useful products as an opportunity to address environmental challenges associated with the disposal of abattoir waste.
He listed animal blood, rumen contents, manure, wastewater and other biodegradable residues generated during slaughtering and meat processing as materials that could be processed under the initiative.
According to him, the approach could help reduce the accumulation of untreated organic waste around slaughter facilities, where improper disposal practices threaten sanitation and surrounding water resources.
The NBRDA director-general said the initiative would combine biotechnology research with practical solutions for waste management and renewable energy production.
Registrar of EHCON, Dr Yakubu Baba, said the agreement demonstrated how collaboration among public institutions could address environmental health challenges while creating opportunities for the productive use of resources.
Baba pledged the council’s commitment to implementing the partnership in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
A Joint Technical Committee will coordinate implementation, including identifying suitable facilities, building capacity, transferring technology and assessing environmental and public health outcomes.
Mustapha said the agencies planned to begin with selected abattoirs, where assessments would be conducted to determine daily waste volumes, available space, water supply and energy requirements before suitable digestion systems were installed.
He explained that the assessments would help determine the appropriate capacity of each plant and establish whether the resulting biogas could supply nearby facilities or support specific operations within the abattoirs.
The partnership could also promote the safe treatment and testing of digestate for use as organic fertilizer, subject to the relevant quality and safety requirements.
However, the agencies acknowledged that the initiative’s success would depend on reliable equipment, trained operators, adequate maintenance funding and safeguards against the unsafe handling of untreated waste.
READ ALSO: Gospel Singer Toluwanisings Dies, Woli Agba, Funke Akindele Mourn
For communities surrounding abattoirs, effective implementation could improve waste management and reduce pollution, while operators could benefit from alternative energy sources and potential revenue from properly processed by-products.
Mustapha told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the partnership offered an opportunity to translate biotechnology research into practical environmental services.
He, however, noted that measurable benefits would depend on the scale of implementation and sustained monitoring.
