The Lagos State Government has officially commissioned the Ikosi Fruit Market Anaerobic Digester, a landmark waste-to-energy project designed to transform organic market waste into sustainable power and clean cooking gas. Launched on February 9, 2026, the facility addresses a critical environmental challenge in one of Africa’s largest produce hubs, which generates approximately 30 tonnes of waste daily, 90% of which is organic.
Previously, much of this waste ended up in landfills or clogged drainage systems, contributing to severe methane emissions and flooding.
Delivered through a strategic partnership with C40 Cities and funded by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the plant systematically collects fruit peels, vegetable trimmings, and unsold produce. Inside the anaerobic digester, natural bacteria break down the waste in an oxygen-free environment to produce biogas.
This renewable energy now generates 30 kWh of electricity daily, powering market streetlights for enhanced safety and providing dedicated charging stations for traders’ mobile phones and POS machines.
Beyond energy, the project serves as a cornerstone of the Lagos circular economy. A primary byproduct of the digestion process is a nutrient-rich “Eco-fertilizer,” which the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems has begun distributing to local farmers to boost crop yields.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, noted that this pilot is just the beginning; the state intends to replicate this “pre-scale-up” model across 35 other major markets. If successfully expanded, these interventions could reduce Lagos’s total waste-related emissions by an estimated 3% per year.
Strategic Benefits for Traders and Farmers
The Ikosi plant provides more than just electricity; it is designed to improve the livelihoods of the market’s 1,000+ traders, 80% of whom are women. Plans are already in motion to use the generated biogas to power a cold storage facility, which will drastically reduce post-harvest losses by allowing vendors to preserve unsold fruits.
By treating waste at the source, the project also reduces the state’s reliance on increasingly exhausted landfills, which currently operate at nearly 80% capacity.
This initiative marks the handover of the Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP) in Lagos, signaling a shift from policy to tangible, community-level climate action.
As Nigeria pursues its broader energy transition, the Ikosi Market project stands as a practical template for how urban centers can turn everyday waste into a valuable industrial resource, strengthening both public health and economic resilience in the process.
