Nasarawa State Develops Climate Change Policy Document to Mitigate Effects and Enhance Investment Opportunities

Nasarawa State is taking proactive steps to address the devastating effects of climate change by developing a climate change policy document. This initiative aims to mitigate the impacts of climate change and create investment opportunities for the state.

A one-day stakeholders’ engagement was held at the Tazu Hotel in Lafia to discuss the development of the Nasarawa Climate Investment Platform. The event brought together participants from the public and private sectors to share their expertise and provide input on the policy document.

During the stakeholders’ engagement, participants discussed the far-reaching effects of climate change in Nasarawa State and suggested possible ways to address them. They also made inputs on how to develop a robust climate policy and action plan, finance strategy, and business support and capacity-building resources for cleaner energy solutions.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, Managing Director of the Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA), expressed his delight with the $160,000 grant received from the African Climate Foundation to develop the Nasarawa State Climate Investment Plan. This plan is the first of its kind in Nigeria.

Abdullahi emphasized that the Climate Investment Platform would serve as a hub for projects that align with the government’s quest for cleaner energy solutions, such as climate-smart agriculture, smart construction, and other climate-friendly initiatives. He called on critical stakeholders to support the initiative.

In a goodwill message, Habiba Suleiman, Managing Director of the State Human Capital Development Agency, lamented the devastating effects of climate change on the environment. She attributed these effects to human activities such as indiscriminate felling of trees and excessive greenhouse gas emissions, and called for collective efforts to address the situation.

The stakeholders’ engagement featured paper presentations on the Nasarawa State Climate Policy and Action Plan, Approach and Methodology for Climate Policy and Action Plan, and Introducing the Nasarawa State Climate Investment Platform.

Participants, including Egga Lucky Obile and Ahmed Adamu, described the development of the climate change policy document as timely and made a case for a legal framework to support the initiative. They also emphasized the need to tackle the problem of inconsistency by successive administrations.

The development of the climate change policy document is a significant step towards addressing the impacts of climate change in Nasarawa State. The initiative is expected to create investment opportunities, promote cleaner energy solutions, and enhance the state’s resilience to climate change.