The Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) has announced plans to plant 5,000 trees across 50 border communities in a major push to strengthen climate resilience in some of Nigeria’s most environmentally vulnerable regions.
The initiative, unveiled by COWA president Kikelomo Adeniyi during the global launch of the Green Borders Sustainability Initiative at the COP30 Climate Conference in Belém, Brazil, aims to address severe deforestation, land degradation, and other climate-related pressures affecting border areas.
Ms Adeniyi said the year-long pilot would cover 21 states and 105 local government areas, adding that the programme also includes training 1,000 women and youth in waste segregation, plastic recycling, and clean-energy enterprises.
She noted that solar-powered eco-hubs would be established as community centres for clean energy access and recycling nationwide.
She further disclosed plans for a N15 billion sustainability and innovation centre in Abuja to provide climate education, vocational training, and renewable technology development for 5,000 beneficiaries annually, strengthening national capacity for green enterprise and environmental stewardship.
According to her, border communities often face early and severe impacts of deforestation, pollution, and desert encroachment.
She said, is designed to bring climate solutions directly to areas where environmental challenges and human vulnerability intersect.
Ms Adeniyi emphasised that the pilot aligns with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions and global sustainability goals, positioning it as a replicable African model linking family, trade, and environmental care.
She called on development agencies, donors, private partners, and international NGOs to support the construction of the COWA sustainability centre, describing it as West Africa’s first specialised institution for women-led climate education and capacity development.
