The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) withdrew licences from Kenny JPS, Clean Craft Nigeria Limited, Doveroost Ltd, Dewayls, and Pesjoy Ventures, citing an “inability to meet required service standards.” The affected operators previously managed routes spanning Igando-Ikotun, Eti-Osa, and Ejigbo.
The decision, announced by LAWMA’s Managing Director, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, highlights a broader structural challenge: the pace of development in Lagos is outstripping waste collection capacity in several neighbourhoods.
Rather than onboarding entirely new contractors, LAWMA has adopted a hybrid approach. Two existing operators—Shekaz Global Limited and Krestabol Waste Management—will continue under reduced coverage areas, while new partners are introduced to share operational responsibilities. Additionally, two operators voluntarily relinquished their concessions, enabling further route redistribution.
The reshuffle underscores the fragile balance within Lagos’s private sector participation (PSP) waste management model. While the system has long supplemented government-run services in residential areas, persistent underperformance and service gaps remain common complaints among residents.
“In locations where development has outpaced the capacity of a single operator, it becomes necessary to redistribute operational responsibilities,” Gbadegesin said, describing the overhaul as a necessary step to keep pace with urban expansion.
With a population exceeding 15 million and an estimated annual influx of 600,000 new residents, Lagos generates over 13,000 tonnes of waste daily. Managing this volume across fragmented private concessions continues to pose significant logistical and operational challenges.
LAWMA has urged residents to cooperate with newly assigned operators and to patronise only accredited service providers. The agency also pledged stricter monitoring and enforcement. However, questions remain as to whether contractual restructuring alone can address the deeper capacity and infrastructure gaps facing the city’s waste management system.
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