The Kano Declaration on Climate Change and Environment has been endorsed by the seven northwestern states in Nigeria, including Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
The commitment was made during the North-West Commissioners Summit on Climate Change, hosted by the Kano State Ministry of Environment on Thursday.
Organized by Surge Africa, the summit focused on fostering dialogue, collaboration, and inter-state strategies to address climate change in the North-west region of Nigeria. Surge Africa, in a statement on Friday, highlighted the states’ commitment to biodiversity conservation, rural integration, collaboration and partnerships, adaptation finance, sustainable development, and climate security in the region.
During the summit, state commissioners and stakeholders from the seven Nigerian states engaged in discussions concerning crucial matters at the intersection of climate change, sustainable development, and climate security. The participants worked on formulating action plans and climate funds to effectively implement the commitments made.
Highlighting the regional nature of the issue, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Environment and Natural Resources, Abubakar Buba, emphasized the need to address climate security as a regional problem. He underscored the interconnectedness of the challenge, stating, “because the bush that runs from Sokoto to Kaduna and down to Niger State is the same.”
“Therefore, we must look at it beyond state-level and collaboration to address these issues as a regional threat,” Mr Buba said.
The Founder of Surge Africa, Nasreen Al-Amin, also underscored the need for the government and stakeholders to collaborate on climate change.
“The summit revealed the readiness of states to collaborate with civil society organizations (CSOs) and development partners to advance state initiatives,” Ms. Al-Amin said.
The Founder of Surge Africa, Nasreen Al-Amin, also underscored the need for the government and stakeholders to collaborate on climate change.
“The summit revealed the readiness of states to collaborate with civil society organizations (CSOs) and development partners to advance state initiatives,” Ms. Al-Amin said.
Ms Al-Amin’s organization is a non-profit collaborating with governments and stakeholders to promote, design, and implement innovative measures that improve approaches to climate adaptation in Nigeria and Africa
“Not only is the summit timely in terms of the critical issues that were discussed, but it also presented a unique opportunity for CSOs to partner with state actors in scaling tangible climate solutions,” she said.
“This is also where Surge Africa plays an integral role, by bringing together key stakeholders to discuss strategic frameworks such as the State Climate Action Plan and Climate Fund that needs to be developed to integrate climate adaptation at the state level.”
“With the escalating climate crisis in Nigeria and the passage of the Climate Change Bill into law, Surge Africa believes that state governments must urgently increase their ambitions around mitigating the social, economic, and environmental crises exacerbated by climate change, especially in fragile ecosystems like Northern Nigeria,” the statement read in parts.
“State governments, partners, and relevant stakeholders expressed strong support for Surge Africa’s proposals for the adoption of a State Climate Action Plan and State Climate Fund.”
It added that they acknowledged the importance of these frameworks in fostering a sustainable and resilient future for the region as enshrined in the Kano Declaration on Climate Change and Environment.
The event is its first series of ecosystem summits to facilitate climate adaptation solutions through policy, media & communications, and resilience.