The Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), has developed a guidance manual for climate change agenda in the country in a bid to reduce long-term climate-related challenges, Nature News gathered.
The manual will provide guidelines and procedures for implementing climate change activities in priority sectors and mitigate the negative effects of climate change on sustainable development, agriculture, human health and the environment.
This information was disclosed when the stakeholders recently gathered in Abuja for a one-day stakeholders’ review workshop, organised by NEWMAP.
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Consultant for the project, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba, called on the government to identify policies and strategies, aimed at reducing the impact of climate change.
Nwajiuba said climate change is negatively impacting various sectors, groups in Nigeria and plans had been developed to address the vulnerability as well as facilitate implementation of adaptation strategies.
He explained that NEWMAP was developing climate data management system, a model for a national centralised database, and other existing information exchange to ensure best practice and standards.
Similarly, Prof. Nwajiuba, who doubles as the Vice Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State, stated that the project is meant to cover the areas of climatology and disaster risk management, adding that all these are aimed at adopting of environmentally sustainable economic development.
Also, NEWMAP National Project Coordinator, Dr. Salisu Dahiru, said that the workshop would give relevant Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), opportunity to contribute to the document; manage adaptation and mitigation of climate change in the country.
Dahiru affirmed that there are leakages between erosion and rainfalls, which give rise to severe gully erosion. “We are meant to look critically to their causes and effects, and how to manage them generally.