By Faridat Salifu
A new youth coalition has been launched to strengthen young Nigerians’ participation in the development, implementation and monitoring of Nigeria’s climate commitments under the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0.
The Nigeria NDC Youth Coalition was launched recently under the theme, “Climate at the Center, Youth at the Table,” with support from ActionAid Nigeria and more than 10 youth-led climate organisations.
The launch brought together young climate leaders, civil society organisations, government representatives, development partners, researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders from across Nigeria.
Speaking at the launch, President of the Nigeria NDC Youth Coalition, Tolulope Gbenro, said the coalition was established to address the gap between the scale of youth-led climate action in Nigeria and the level of youth participation in formal climate policy and decision-making processes.
Gbenro said young Nigerians were already contributing to climate action through climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, waste management, research, advocacy, community mobilisation, environmental sustainability and green entrepreneurship, but much of their work remained poorly documented and disconnected from national climate discussions.
She said the coalition would provide a platform for collaboration, capacity development, knowledge sharing, evidence generation, advocacy and engagement with Nigeria’s climate governance processes, particularly the implementation of NDC 3.0.
According to her, the coalition would not replace existing youth organisations, networks or movements, but would instead connect existing initiatives and promote collaboration among young people working on climate issues.
“The Coalition’s mission is to convene an inclusive youth safe space that connects, equips, advocates for, and positions young people and youth organizations as credible partners in Nigeria’s climate action and NDC processes,” she said.
Gbenro said meaningful youth participation should begin before climate policies are developed rather than being restricted to consultations and validation meetings after decisions had already been made.
She said young people should be able to provide evidence, propose priorities, offer technical perspectives, participate in implementation, monitor progress and hold institutions accountable.
She also stressed the need for youth participation to extend beyond the federal level to Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, states, local governments and communities, particularly rural and underserved areas.
ActionAid Nigeria Programme Manager, Blessing Ifemenam, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to youth participation, social justice, sustainable livelihoods, resilience and governance.
Ifemenam said Nigeria had numerous youth movements and climate initiatives, but awareness of the NDC remained limited, alongside gaps in public participation, climate finance accountability and implementation at national and subnational levels.
She said young people could contribute to policymaking through evidence, technical input, advocacy and engagement, urging the coalition to build collective capacity to analyse, monitor and influence NDC implementation.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Awele Ikobi-Anyali, Head of the Legal Department and Services at the National Council on Climate Change Secretariat, who welcomed the coalition and expressed the Council’s readiness to engage with the initiative.
Ikobi-Anyali said young people and civil society organisations were critical to achieving Nigeria’s climate objectives, describing the NDC as a living document that cuts across several sectors of the country’s decarbonisation pathway.
She called for an inclusive coalition with subnational and regional representation and urged its members to contribute to the effective implementation of NDC 3.0 across the country.
Country Facilitator of the NDC Partnership in Nigeria, Huzi Mshelia, described the coalition as a potential bridge between young people, government institutions, development partners, the private sector and civil society.
Mshelia said the coalition could help integrate youth priorities into climate policies, programmes and investments while encouraging it to prioritise diversity, inclusion, innovation, partnerships, knowledge mobilisation and resource mobilisation.
He specifically called for meaningful participation of young women, persons with disabilities, vulnerable communities and young people across Nigeria’s different regions.
Rashidat Sanusi, Programme Manager on Environmental Sustainability and Resilience at the Yar’Adua Foundation, said the coalition could help address the longstanding challenge of young people working in silos.
Sanusi cautioned against tokenistic youth participation, urging the coalition to maintain its integrity and ensure young people were included in decision-making for substantive rather than symbolic representation.
National Coordinator of GreenFaith Nigeria, Lucky Abeng, said climate change was already affecting Nigerian communities, livelihoods, food systems and employment opportunities for young people.
Abeng called for greater investment in green skills and urged young people to identify ways of transferring their existing skills into emerging opportunities in the green economy.
He also said youth responsibility for climate action must be matched with access to resources, climate finance, opportunities and institutional support.
Program Manager at Inclusive Friends Association, Stephen Idoko, called for disability inclusion to be deliberately integrated into the coalition’s activities and Nigeria’s NDC 3.0 implementation.
Idoko said persons with disabilities, particularly young people with disabilities, should be recognised as active participants and leaders in developing climate solutions rather than merely as beneficiaries.
He said the Inclusive Friends Association was working to strengthen the capacity of young persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls, in leadership, policy advocacy and inclusive climate action.
The coalition has developed an initial roadmap that includes recurring virtual meetings, webinars, capacity-building programmes and efforts to mobilise young people across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
It also plans to convene government institutions, civil society organisations, development partners and sectoral stakeholders for policy engagement and other activities.
A key priority is preparing young Nigerians for COP31 through pre-COP webinars, simplified climate policy information and opportunities for youth engagement in the international climate process.
The coalition’s roadmap also includes community sensitisation across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, regional engagement, youth-led research and publications, data collection, annual reporting and documentation of youth-led climate solutions.
Vice President of the coalition, Precious Duru, said the success of the initiative would ultimately depend on what its members and partners do after the launch.
Duru urged young Nigerians to continue collaborating and participating actively, stressing that Nigeria’s climate future cannot be shaped without the meaningful involvement of its young people.
