Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Government of Japan has strengthened its healthcare interventions in Nigeria by signing a grant contract with the South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) for the implementation of a medical waste management project in Enugu State.
The agreement for “The Project for the Provision of Medical Waste Incinerator in East Enugu LGA, Enugu State” was formalised during a signing ceremony held in Enugu on Thursday.
The contract was signed by the Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, His Excellency Mr. Suzuki Hideo, and the Executive Director of SSDO, Dr. Stanley Ilechukwu.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Suzuki said the project would be funded under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) and involves a financial grant of USD 66,309 (approximately N98.4 million).
He explained that the intervention aims to install a modern medical waste incinerator at the Abakpa Health Centre in Enugu East Local Government Area.
According to him, the facility will serve as a centralised disposal hub for the host centre as well as other public and private health facilities within the LGA.
Suzuki further noted that the GGP scheme, a component of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA), is designed to deliver direct, community-level impact by improving the well-being of vulnerable populations.
He congratulated SSDO on securing the grant and expressed confidence in the organisation’s capacity to deliver a high-quality project that meets the healthcare needs of the area.
In his remarks, SSDO’s Executive Director, Dr. Stanley Ilechukwu, described the project as a crucial investment in building safer and more resilient healthcare systems.
He explained that the installation of the incinerator would address long-standing challenges associated with medical waste management in the area, particularly the risks of secondary infections resulting from open burning and improper disposal.
“By providing a safe, local option for hazardous waste, we are easing the decades-long burden of transporting medical waste over long distances to the state’s cold store. This intervention strengthens infection control not just for one health facility but for an entire cluster of centres,” he said.
The approval of the project followed a rigorous inspection visit to Enugu by GGP Coordinators Wakana Deguchi and Kenechukwu Adibe, who assessed the technical requirements and confirmed the suitability of the proposed site.
This marks the second major collaboration between the Embassy of Japan and SSDO, following a successful 2021 GGP-funded project that provided a 56KVA solar power system to Poly General Hospital, Enugu—an intervention that continues to ensure uninterrupted power supply and improved service delivery.
The new incinerator project has received strong support from the Enugu State Government and the Ministry of Health under the leadership of the Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu.
Its implementation will be carried out with the support of the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, led by its Executive Secretary, Dr. Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, which will assume responsibility for its management and operation upon completion to ensure long-term sustainability.
