By Faridat Salifu
The Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr. Salihu Aminu Usman, has said Nigeria’s climate plan must address conflict and peacebuilding.
He said this on Tuesday in a keynote address as he opened a three-day Peer Learning Forum on National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes in conflict-affected countries.
Speaking at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Mr. Usman said climate change is intensifying extreme weather events globally and worsening security challenges in Nigeria.
The Permanent Secretary however noted that Nigeria has made significant commitments under the UN climate convention, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen adaptation.
Mr. Usman noted that Nigeria’s National Adaptation Plan, supported by the Green Climate Fund, is in its final stage and draws on climate risk and vulnerability assessments.
“The plan also integrates conflict sensitivity, linking environmental stressors to issues such as farmer-herder clashes, banditry, and resource competition,” Usman said.
The Permanent Secretary noted that conflict-sensitive adaptation strategies can help break cycles of fragility by improving social stability and resilience in vulnerable communities.
In her welcome remarks, the Director of the Department of Climate Change, Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, echoed the call for alignment between climate and peacebuilding.
She said climate variability is already affecting infrastructure, biodiversity, and national security in Nigeria.
“Aligning adaptation strategies with peacebuilding efforts is essential to ensure sustainable development,” Abiola-Awe said.
added that Nigeria’s validated NAP outlines medium- and long-term strategies developed through a participatory and transparent process, with a strong emphasis on integrating conflict considerations.
The three-day forum, co-hosted with the NAP Global Network, brings together representatives from several African countries, policymakers, civil society actors, and development partners to exchange knowledge on managing climate risks in fragile contexts.
Alec Crawford of the International Institute for Sustainable Development said climate change and conflict are increasingly interconnected, particularly in countries facing insecurity and institutional pressure.
He argued that national adaptation planning must go beyond technical solutions to address governance, resource allocation, and coordination challenges in fragile settings, and called for stronger collaboration between climate, security, and development actors.
Organizers urged participants to share experiences, challenges, and lessons learned to improve climate resilience across affected countries.
NatureNews notes that insights from the forum are expected to guide future adaptation planning and implementation in complex and conflict-prone environments.
