As a southern Nigerian predisposed to the peculiar challenges of pollution and environmental damage from crude drilling and refining, my mission has always been to salvage my homeland from the perils of environmental degradation through biological means. While my initial aspirations may not have directly overlapped with the primary objectives of the 2024 ICETT (International Center for Environmental Technology Transfer–USP program on waste management and circular society; 17 – 24 January, 2024) program, they certainly resonated with its secondary focus on waste management and environmental control. Both mandates are prodigiously wrapped in the context of environmental consciousness for sustainability and a safe climate.

After emerging as one of the shortlisted participants of the ICETT program (which I assumed was under Sakura Science Initiatives), I had the opportunity to visit Japan to learn about contemporary approaches to waste management through recycling, reduction, and reuse. Over the span of one-week, I traversed through five cutting-edge waste management facilities, two esteemed universities engaging with Japanese professors, and visited one governmental agency dedicated to municipal waste management and policy evaluation. To buttress on this training, I would say it was an encounter that unveiled a tapestry of innovations, where the 3Rs were prioritized and woven into the fabrics of everyday life for all Japanese.

The experience was overwhelming. I also got to learn about new technologies and mechanical ways of recycling plastics, glasses, polystyrene, PET, and organic materials. Of immense importance was the biomass conversion of organic wastes to methane energy, which was directly supplied as electricity to communities within the metropolis. Through this, I see the symbiosis of science, sustainability, and circular society being echoed in some of the earliest topics in my elementary subjects. This is an underlying concept taught in my primary school introductory technology classes, which I got to witness for the first time in Mie, Japan.

Undoubtedly, the program is having a paradigm shift in my focus as I sojourn into the zenith of my academic pursuit (PhD). Now, I find myself drawn to research on the bioconversion of common organic wastes, envisioning the use of biochemically optimized fungi. I believe this research might also be a harbinger of ecological renewal. Passionately, I look forward to working with a professor in Japanese top universities for my PhD. In the interim, I patiently await a call from JICA through ICETT with respect to actualizing the projects as outlined in my submitted "Action Plan."

I remain indebted to the benevolence of Japan, a nation of immense generosity, for extending its hand in friendship to seekers of knowledge from every corner of the world. To have been a beneficiary of this magnanimity is a privilege beyond measure, and for that, I offer my heartfelt gratitude.

Arigatou gozaimasu!
Thank you!