Environmental stakeholders have called for stronger partnerships, public awareness and sustained interventions to tackle climate change, plastic pollution and marine waste in Nigeria.
The call was made at the second African Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Film Festival (ASFF 2026), organised by Chanja Datti Limited in Abuja to promote sustainability through films and creative storytelling.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Technology and Operations, Olamide Fagbuji, urged government agencies, businesses, development partners and communities to strengthen collaboration in addressing environmental challenges.
He identified flooding, rising temperatures, drought and environmental degradation as growing threats to communities and livelihoods, urging Nigerians to embrace sustainable practices.
The festival convener and Founder of Chanja Datti Limited, Olufunto Borofice, said the initiative uses films to promote the Sustainable Development Goals, celebrate African culture and inspire young people.
She disclosed that film entries increased by nearly 20 per cent, while youth registrations almost doubled compared with the previous edition, which attracted over 700 physical attendees and reached more than 47,000 people online.
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Representing the Federal Ministry of Environment, Zainab Kabiru Yusuf, Assistant Chief Scientific Officer, Pollution Control and Environmental Health Department, stressed the need for collective action against marine pollution and commended Chanja Datti for its waste management efforts.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre, Bankole Oloruntoba, highlighted the PROTEGO Project, which involves the centre, WASTE Africa, Adelphi and the German government in efforts to prevent waste from entering the oceans.
He said the initiative, supported by the Federal Government and the Lagos and Cross River State Governments, promotes sustainable waste management and reduction of marine pollution.
Oloruntoba noted that community engagement in Ajegunle had improved awareness of the link between indiscriminate waste disposal and ocean pollution, with traditional leaders and young people embracing the initiative.
The Sustainability Manager of Nestlé Nigeria, Chinwe Obi, also described the festival as an important platform for environmental advocacy, noting that storytelling could encourage responsible waste management and behavioural change.
The 2026 festival, themed “Amplifying Voices for a Sustainable Future,” seeks to mobilise governments, businesses and communities towards achieving the SDGs through recycling, proper waste disposal and sustained environmental action.
PROTEGO is the headline sponsor, while WASTE Africa and NCIC are implementing partners. Nestlé Nigeria is a strategic partner, with Chanja Datti Limited powering the festival.
