OGWAMA was established in October, 2019 through an Executive order and promulgated into law by the State House of Assembly in July, 2020.

Prior to the creation of OGWAMA, the Ministry of Environment and OGEPA were the agencies saddled with the responsibilities of managing waste in the State. Waste Management is at the forefront of Environment but there was no coordinated template in place to match up with standard best practices in Waste Management.