Nigeria has outlined a comprehensive climate action strategy aimed at safeguarding livelihoods and strengthening resilience across all regions, with a major focus on adaptation in agriculture, water management, and disaster risk reduction.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Nigeria Day event on the sidelines of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, said the country is advancing an integrated approach to climate resilience through targeted interventions that address both ecological threats and socio-economic vulnerabilities.
Mr. Momoh noted that the Regional Development Ministry, established in 2024 to fast-track equitable development across the six geopolitical zones and the Niger Delta has prioritised climate-smart agriculture, including the promotion of drought-resistant crops and early warning systems, along with shoreline protection, flood control projects, and community-driven initiatives to diversify livelihoods beyond agriculture.
According to the Minister, these measures are designed to strengthen food security, protect vulnerable households, and support long-term sustainability in communities already burdened by drought, desertification, erosion, flooding, ocean surge, and water pollution.
He added that environmental pressures such as gas flaring, oil spills, and unsustainable energy practices have significantly worsened regional fragility.
He explained that the ministry’s climate plan aligns with Nigeria’s economy-wide NDC targets, spanning agriculture, forestry, energy, oil and gas, transport, industry, waste, health, water, education, and circular economy strategies.
He emphasised that regional development commissions and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will jointly implement the plan.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the West Africa Green Economic Development Institute, Magnus Onuoha, said the Integrated Climate Action Plan for the Ministry of Regional Development (ICLAP-MRD) will run from 2025 to 2030, with adaptation as the primary priority and mitigation as a secondary focus.
Mr. Onuoha said the plan seeks to enhance the adaptive capacity of vulnerable settlements while promoting a low-carbon, high-growth development model anchored on sustainability, energy transition, integration, and entrepreneurship.
He identified nine core components of the ICLAP-MRD, including climate-smart agriculture and mariculture, renewable energy, industrial sustainability, blue economy development, inland waterways, entrepreneurship and technical support, and climate financing and communication.
He added that the ICLAP-MRD provides a strategic roadmap for transitioning Regional Development Commissions and the NDDC toward a more competitive and climate-resilient future.
