Academy to train 10,000 youths as six states face high flood risk
______________________________________________________________________________
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency has launched the North-West Climate Fund, targeting N20bn over four years to tackle flooding, drought and other climate-related challenges in the region.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-West), Abdullahi Yakasai, announced the target while briefing State House correspondents on the sidelines of the North-West Climate Summit on Tuesday at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
“We’re looking at the region of N20bn in the next four years,” he said, adding that the fund would support interventions addressing flooding, drought, migration and the transition to renewable energy.
The fund is expected to mobilise grants, impact capital and carbon finance for climate resilience and women-led green enterprises.
The summit also featured the launch of a climate academy targeting 10,000 youths and an investment marketplace designed to connect states and local governments with investors and development partners.
The lead consultant for the North-West Climate Academy, Dr Mea Boykins, said the first training programme was expected to begin within nine months.
She said the academy had prospective partners, including the Georgia House of Representatives, Lagos Business School and the Institute of Global Negotiators in Switzerland.
Boykins said the investment marketplace had bankable projects that governors and commissioners could present to prospective investors. She added that investors from the United Kingdom, the United States and other African countries were interested in financing projects.
Yakasai said the summit was organised in collaboration with the North-West Governors’ Forum and the North-West Development Commission. He added that its outcomes would inform the region’s engagement at the forthcoming United Nations climate summit in Turkey.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change, Kama Nkemkanma, who represented Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, said climate change threatened food security, water resources, infrastructure and community stability.
He identified irregular rainfall, prolonged dry spells, desertification, soil degradation and flooding as major challenges facing the region. He also called for transparent project selection and accountable management of the fund.
The 2026 Annual Flood Outlook, presented in Abuja in April by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, identified 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory as being at high risk of flooding.
It listed 14,118 communities in 266 local government areas as high-risk areas. In the North-West, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara were identified as facing high flood risk.
Vice President Kashim Shettima was represented at the summit by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Regional Development Programmes, Mariam Masha.