Lagos presents cooking oil kiosks to unlock $20m biofuel market
Ajayi and other dignitaries at the unveiling
The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, has unveiled household used cooking oil collection kiosks across the state as part of efforts to boost environmental protection, public health, and climate action, while unlocking a minimum $20m biofuel market.
The initiative, implemented in partnership with Ororo Waste Management and supported by the Shell Foundation, was unveiled on Thursday at an event attended by government officials, private sector partners, environmental experts, and youth representatives.
Speaking at the event, the General Manager of LASEPA, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, said the programme was designed to position Lagos as a key player in the global biofuel supply chain while addressing pollution and public health challenges associated with the improper disposal of used cooking oil.
“This initiative is about unlocking a minimum $20m market in Lagos and putting the state on the global map in the biofuel supply chain.
“Globally, aviation fuel and other energy sources must comply with climate change parameters. Used cooking oil is a critical feedstock in the biofuel value chain, and Lagos ranks very high in terms of potential,” Ajayi said.
Ajayi noted that Nigeria’s large population and oil-based cooking practices make the country one of the world’s leading producers of used cooking oil, adding that Lagos alone could contribute about 50 per cent of the volume generated nationally.
“Medically, reheating cooking oil more than once alters its chemical composition, making it harmful to health. Environmentally, when used oil is poured into drains, it combines with plastics and styrofoam to block drainage systems, damage roads, and increase flooding,” he said.
He explained that although LASEPA began collecting used cooking oil about two years ago, the agency is now introducing a more structured system by establishing manned collection points at all LASEPA zonal offices and the agency’s headquarters.
“People can now turn in their used cooking oil and get rewarded. This market excludes nobody. It starts at the household level, and people can earn income from what was previously considered waste,” Ajayi said.
According to him, the initiative would help reduce the cost of repairing damaged roads and drainages, curb pollution-related diseases such as cholera, and improve the overall quality of life for Lagos residents.
“As a city, we are deliberate about climate action. Used cooking oil should not end up in our drains. Instead, it should become a valuable resource that feeds into the global biofuel market,” he added.
Ajayi said the programme would rely heavily on voluntary compliance rather than enforcement, stressing that attaching economic value to waste would drive participation.
“When you put money at the end of any chain, it works. This initiative will encourage voluntary compliance and transform waste into economic value for the people of Lagos,” he said.
He added that the state is targeting Nigeria’s emergence as the third-largest used cooking oil supply chain globally, after China and India, within one year.
“The value chain we are keen on is the biofuel route because it directly relates to climate action, environmental sustainability, and measurable impact,” Ajayi said.
Also speaking, the Director of Environmental Sustainability at LASEPA, Mrs Dayo Adebayo, described the initiative as inclusive and grassroots-driven.
“This programme cuts across the three pillars of sustainability—the people, the planet, and prosperity. It reaches the grassroots and embraces a circular, eco-friendly system where used vegetable oil is recycled and converted into economic value,” she said.
She added that the availability of collection kiosks at LASEPA zonal offices would encourage participation across gender and socio-economic groups.
The Managing Director and Project Lead of Ororo Waste Management, Mr Ayo Banjo, said the initiative aligns environmental sustainability with public health and livelihood improvement.
“You cannot separate environmental sustainability from public health. Overusing cooking oil increases the risk of cancer, while improper disposal damages drainage systems and spreads disease,” Banjo said.
He explained that Ororo Waste Management had previously focused on restaurants and hotels but is now expanding the programme to households, which account for about 50 to 60 per cent of used cooking oil generation.
“We are creating an ecosystem where households can earn extra income, waste pickers can have dignified livelihoods, and youths can become micro-entrepreneurs,” he said.
Banjo commended LASEPA for creating an enabling regulatory environment that allows Nigeria to engage meaningfully in the global biofuel supply chain.
“Nigeria is believed to be the third-largest producer of used cooking oil globally after China and India, and Lagos alone can contribute half of that volume. What LASEPA has done will go down in history,” he added.
Similarly, the Director of Air Quality Management at LASEPA, Mrs Ayodele Oso, said the initiative would help reduce emissions and air pollution linked to improper reuse and open burning of used oil.
“This programme supports cleaner communities and a healthier Lagos. By recycling used oil, we reduce emissions, unsafe reuse, and open burning, which directly affect air quality,” Oso said.
She urged households, vendors, and small businesses to embrace the scheme, describing it as a forward-looking initiative aligned with the state’s vision for environmental sustainability and public health protection.
The state government added that youths would play a central role in driving awareness and participation, serving as “vanguards and foot soldiers” for information dissemination across communities, markets, restaurants, and residential estates.
