Our Programmes

MOVING FROM CLIMATE CHANGE CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT TO BUILDING NIGERIA’S RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is recognized as a major global threat and has serious adverse implications on livelihood systems. It has been determined that developing countries will have a disproportionate share of the impact of climate change. The Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) draws attention to the fact that climate change impact will be severe in Sub-Saharan Africa including West African region. This is of particular concern to Nigeria where a large part of the population depends on rain-fed agriculture for its livelihood coupled with observed increase in scale and frequency of extreme weather related events across the country, which are predicted to increase in future as a result of climate change. Such developments would have serious implications for men and women in Nigeria and their ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change for which no institutional arrangement is yet in place.

The Canada-Nigeria Climate Change Capacity Development Project (CN-CCCDP), funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) had, between September 2001 to May 2004, built Nigeria’s capacity to participate in global effort to combat climate change. The project was implemented by the Nigeria Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST).in partnership with Global Change Strategies International (GCSI) of Canada.

Major outcomes of the project include:

Some of the key products produced by or facilitated through the project included:

Nigeria’s First National Communications.
Draft Climate Change Policy for Nigeria.
Draft Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Manual for Nigeria to take advantage of the global resources available to help countries respond.
Atmospheric Research and Information Analysis Laboratory (ARIAL) and trained students on mitigation analyses research, inventory updates and climate modeling/statistical downscaling.
National GHG Emission Inventories up to the year 2000.
Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) studies in five key sectors: energy, industry and financial; human health and settlement; freshwater ecosystems; agriculture, food security, forestry and biodiversity; and, coastal and marine ecosystems. Each of which considered gender equity issues associated with V&A.
Education and outreach activities that reached thousands of Nigerians and products to increase awareness of climate change in the future
Climate Change in Nigeria: A Communication Guide
National Stakeholders Workshop on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
Regional Climate Modeling and Climate Scenarios Development in Support of Vulnerability and Adaptation Studies: Outcome of Regional Climate Modeling Efforts over Nigeria
Executive Summary of Five Multi-Sector Surveys on Nigeria’s Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change
Review of GHG Emissions Inventories, Mitigation Assessments and the Framework for the Implementation of a National Emissions Data System in Nigeria (Synthesis Report)
Climate Change Awareness Campaign (Comic Mag.)
Facts on Climate Change in Nigeria #2: Repercussions for Water Resources, Wetlands and Freshwater Ecosystem
Facts on Climate Change in Nigeria #4: Repercussions for Agriculture, Food Security, Land Degradation, Forestry and Biodiversity
Facts on Climate Change in Nigeria #5: Repercussions for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems

The CN-CCCDP project achieved its goal considering the level of Nigeria’s engagement at international dialogue, level of awareness and giant strides recorded on the policy front. The project created further follow-up concepts and specific recommendations which have evolved into the current project implemented by NEST called “Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change”, (BNRCC).

BNRCC effectively started in February 2007 and has duration of 4.5 years. The project is designed to build informed responses to climate change in Nigeria by enhancing capacity at the community, state and national levels to implement effective adaptation strategies, policies and actions.

BNRCC is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and implemented by NEST in partnership with the consortium of CUSO and Marbek Resource Consultants.

The goal of BNRCC is to enhance Nigeria’s ability to achieve equitable, sustainable poverty reduction through more effective governance related to climate change in Nigeria. The Project’s purpose is to build Nigeria’s capacity to meet international commitments and adapt to climate change through improved governance, promoting gender equality, poverty reduction and more sustainable natural resource management.

The Project Implementation Plan breaks the Project up into four components, thus:

Adaptation Research, to fill knowledge gaps in climate change vulnerabilities and adaptation;
Pilot Projects, to provide practical experience on community-based adaptation responses;
An Outreach and Networking component, to deepen awareness and generate popular participation;
Policy strategies component, to promote the integration of project findings into development strategies and policies.

The Project outputs will include:

Knowledge and tools for analysis of climate change vulnerabilities and impacts on women and men, key sectors and eco-regional zones. including scenarios on climate change impacts for planning purposes
Practical experience and knowledge about community-based adaptation responses to climate change by vulnerable populations in key sectors and eco-regional zones derived through community-level pilot activities, case studies and dialogue involving both women and men.
A draft National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy developed with women and men participating meaningfully.
Strategies to integrate climate change adaptation into NEEDS and other federal/state sustainable development strategies developed with women and men participating meaningfully.
Climate change outreach and educational materials and networks developed and used by stakeholders to strengthen their participation in climate change adaptation education and policy dialogue.
Tools for action on climate change adaptation including tools and mechanisms to integrate and strengthen the role of Nigerian women in climate change adaptation.

Overall, the project will also create a platform for engaging civil society on FGN policy and programme responses to climate change.

Reach and Beneficiaries

The long-term beneficiaries are women and men in communities across Nigeria, particularly those that are vulnerable to climate change impacts. Project activities will engage communities in pilot activities in key regions of the country that are potentially strongly affected by climate change. Beyond these communities, the project will also provide for the participation of and benefits to environmental NGOs; media; women’s groups; universities and research institutions within selected universities; Federal Government of Nigeria; National and State Assemblies, including Environmental Committees of the House and Senate; State Governments and State Environmental Protection Agencies; private companies and trade unions, as well as educators and secondary schools.

The project will assist the Government of Nigeria to meet its obligations under the UNFCCC, for example by supporting the production of the Second National Communication to UNFCCC, and to build Nigeria’s response to climate change by generating data that can be used in such development programmes as National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy II (NEEDS II) and National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and responding to the seven-point agenda of FGN. Benefits will be generated for Nigeria at the level of government policy and programmes, better public understanding and livelihood adjustments to the phenomenon of climate change and its impact by the poor and by both women and men.

CURRENT IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

A Project Steering Committee and a Project Coordinating Committee have been set up for the overall management of the Project.
Structures for administering the four components of the Project are being developed with the constitution of Advisory Groups.
The processes for engaging partners to execute various project activities under the Research and Pilot Components have begun.
The BNRCC website (www.nigeriaclimatechange.org) has been developed.
Formation of a network called Climate Change Media Network of Nigeria (CCMNN)
Engagement with stakeholders in ministries, parliament, civil society, media and the private sector are on going.

DEVELOPING A ROAD MAP TOWARDS AN ADAPTATION PLAN OF ACTION FOR NIGERIA

Nigeria is waking up to the reality of climate change impact. The projections of the Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC 2007) are becoming evident with the intensification of desertification, the drying up of water bodies (Lake Chad), storms, flooding, costal erosion. Nigeria needs to go beyond just meeting its obligation to UNFCCC to address the impact of climate change. Although Nigeria does not belong to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) with a UNFCCC funding facility for developing a National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA), using a systematic approach in developing a framework for adaptation to climate change seems rational, considering the vulnerability status of Nigeria. Through the NAPA exercise, priority activities will be identified that will enable the nation respond to the urgent and immediate needs with regard to adaptation to climate change. It is also to take into account existing coping strategies at the grassroots level, and build upon that to formulate priority activities.

The Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST) with sponsorship from Christian Aid (CA) is implementing a project titled Building Nigeria’s Capacity to Develop a National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA) for Addressing Climate Change. The project started in October, 2007.

The goal of the project is to ensure that a coordinated and committed approach to adaptation in Nigeria is taken by the Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders. The following are the objectives;

Development of a road map towards the formulation of a National Adaptation Plan of Action.
Identification of key stakeholders who are willing and capable of leading the process for the finalization of the National Plan of Action (and who may be useful partners to NEST and CA).
Increasing awareness amongst Government, Civil society, the private sector, and the academia as stakeholders on climate change, its implications for Nigeria and the potential for adaptation.

Highlights of the activities being undertaken include;

Engaging policy and decision makers, civil societies, academia and the private sector on impact and need for institutional framework on adaptation to climate change.
A stakeholders’ workshop already held on the 24th of June, 2008 which brought together the inter ministerial committee on climate change and key individuals from universities, media and NGOs. The workshop, declared open by the Honourable Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development (FMEHUD) featured five presentations with the following themes;

Status of NAPA in Nigeria: A Way Forward by Peter Tarfa, Special Climate Change Unit, FMEHUD
Climate Variability, Human Settlement and Adaptation Actions by Tony Anuforom, DG Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET)
Energy and Energy Efficiency in Nigeria: Action and Plan for Adaptation by Ewah Eleri of the International Centre for Energy , Environment and Development (ICEED)
Adaptation Strategy and Plan for the Agriculture and Water Resources Sectors in Nigeria by Prof. Enoch Okpara (N GGive affiliation?)
Climate Change Adaptation: Role of Private Sector (Financial and Construction Industries) in Nigeria by Bolade Soremekun (Rubitec Lagos)

At the end of the workshop, a communiqué was released which captured the participants at the workshop. (Click to view the Communiqué).