By Abbas Nazil
Sokoto State Government has described its 2026 Climate Finance Readiness Assessment as a major milestone towards strengthening climate resilience and improving the state’s capacity to mobilise funding for sustainable development.
The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Development, Dr Bashir Muhammad Achida, said the assessment would help the state access, mobilise and effectively manage climate finance to address climate-related challenges and support long-term development.
Achida made the remarks while declaring open a validation workshop on the assessment report organised by the state government in collaboration with the Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE) and UK International Development.
He commended the two development partners and the Technical Task Team for their contributions to the initiative, urging relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to take advantage of the assessment to strengthen Sokoto’s access to climate finance.
The commissioner stressed the importance of coordinated efforts among government institutions and development partners to ensure that the state benefits from available climate funding opportunities.
The workshop also attracted commitments from key officials in the state’s water resources, environment and irrigation sectors, who reaffirmed their support for ongoing climate resilience programmes.
The Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Aminu Abdullahi Iya, and the Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Nura Shehu Tangaza, alongside the Senior Special Assistant on Irrigation, Alhaji Kabiru Muhammad Sani, pledged their commitment to advancing the state’s climate resilience agenda.
The officials noted that Sokoto was among the frontline states implementing climate resilience programmes, highlighting the need to strengthen institutional support and sustain efforts to address environmental and climate-related challenges.
Earlier, PACE National Team Leader, Ifenyi Peters Uguoke, presented key findings from the assessment, covering institutional arrangements, legal frameworks, policy structures and public finance systems relevant to climate finance readiness.
Uguoke called for increased funding and stronger commitment from relevant stakeholders, emphasising the need to improve the state’s capacity to attract and manage climate-related financial resources.
PACE Platforms Manager, Josiah Aramide, subsequently presented the assessment report for validation by participants at the workshop.
The validation process is expected to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to examine the report’s findings and contribute to strengthening its recommendations for improving climate finance readiness in Sokoto State.
Other participants included the Ministry’s Directors of International Cooperation and Monitoring and Evaluation, Musa Muhammad Wamakko and Hayatu Abdullahi, alongside other ministry officials.
The assessment comes amid growing efforts by subnational governments to strengthen their institutional and financial capacity to respond to climate change, with effective access to climate finance increasingly important for supporting resilience programmes, environmental protection and sustainable development.
