By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA — THE Presidency on Tuesday said it is seeking to mobilise about ₦20 billion over the next four years to confront flooding, drought, desertification, migration and other climate pressures across the region.
This is as the North-West Climate Summit has been described as Africa’s first regional climate marketplace.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-West), Hon. Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai, said the summit is the inaugural edition of a regional platform designed to connect states and local governments with development partners, financial institutions and investors.
The initiative is being implemented with the Northern Governors’ Forum, the North-West Governors’ Forum and the North-West Development Commission.
Yakasai said the summit rests on three pillars: a Climate Marketplace, a Climate Academy and a Climate Fund.
He explained that the marketplace will allow subnational governments to showcase climate programmes and attract partnerships and financing from local and international institutions.
“Local governments and states can go into that platform and put up what they are doing on climate change, so that international development partners, international financial institutions, and even the local ones can see what programmes they are doing on climate,” he said.
He explained that the Climate Academy is expected to train 10,000 young people across the North-West on climate resilience, climate action and related areas.
According to him, the Climate Fund will channel resources towards interventions on flooding, drought, renewable energy and other climate-related challenges.
“That fund will be channelled through the Office of the SSA on Community Engagement to tackle those issues,” Yakasai said.
The presidential aide said organisers are targeting about N20 billion over the next four years to support climate interventions in the region.
“We are looking at the region of N20 billion in the next four years,” he said. “All these are aimed at easing the problems of climate, because this is what is bedevilling the whole world.”
He said the initiative builds on work that began last year and is intended to strengthen Nigeria’s position ahead of the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Summit.
“We want to take up what we have gotten here, the discussions we have had here, because we have had a lot of interactive sessions,” Yakasai said.
“We take it up and see where we can match our strength with what we can see at the international climate change summit that is coming up.”
Yakasai identified flooding, migration, drought, dry-season pressures and the need for renewable energy as major challenges facing the North-West.
“Anything that has to do with climate challenge, we focus on it and see how we can help in alleviating those challenges,” he said.
The summit is positioned as an investment-focused platform for climate-resilient agriculture, renewable energy, water security and youth-led green enterprises across Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states.
Yakasai said the regional approach is significant because it moves climate action beyond individual state projects into a coordinated platform for financing, capacity-building and implementation.
The seven states of the North West Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa and Zamfara states sent their representatives.
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