By Faridat Salifu
Once a vast freshwater expanse supporting millions of people across Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, Lake Chad has shrunk by more than 90 percent over the past five decades, leaving behind a patchwork of ponds and dry basins.
The combined impacts of climate change, poor water management, and population pressure have turned what was once a hub of agricultural and economic vitality into a humanitarian and ecological disaster.
For the communities around the lake, survival has replaced sustainability. The loss of water has crippled fishing, farming, and herding, the region’s traditional sources of livelihood.
Fertile farmlands have turned barren, fishing yields have plummeted, and mass migration to urban centres has surged. The resulting strain on limited resources has intensified conflict and competition, compounding regional instability.
Experts warn that Lake Chad’s decline is not just an environmental issue it is a security crisis in slow motion. The lack of economic opportunities has left many young people vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
In a region where poverty and desperation run deep, violent groups exploit the vacuum left by environmental and governance failures, turning the ecological crisis into a driver of terrorism and displacement.
The collapse of Lake Chad’s ecosystem has hit women and children the hardest. With men often migrating to seek work elsewhere, women are left behind to care for families in worsening conditions struggling daily for food, clean water, and healthcare.
Malnutrition, waterborne diseases, and school dropouts, especially among girls, are on the rise. Climate experts say addressing the Lake Chad crisis must therefore integrate gender-responsive solutions that empower women as agents of change rather than victims of circumstance.
The Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) continues to coordinate regional efforts to restore the ecosystem and promote shared water governance. Mega-projects such as the Transaqua Initiative, which proposes to divert water from the Congo River Basin to refill Lake Chad, have attracted global attention but remain stalled by financial and political bottlenecks.
Climate analysts argue that large-scale interventions must be complemented by community-based adaptation, including reforestation, irrigation projects, renewable energy, and early warning systems to reduce pressure on the lake’s resources. They also stress that climate education and local participation are essential for sustainability.
As the world moves toward a new global climate agenda, environmental advocates insist that climate finance must prioritise fragile regions like Lake Chad, where global warming’s impacts far outweigh local emissions.
Wealthier nations those most responsible for greenhouse gas pollution have a moral and financial obligation to support adaptation, mitigation, and peacebuilding efforts in vulnerable regions.
“Global climate funds should not only target clean energy projects in cities but also fragile ecosystems where the human cost of climate change is highest,” said a climate analyst in Abuja. “Lake Chad is not just a lake it’s a lifeline for millions.”
Despite the hardship, communities around Lake Chad continue to show resilience. Local cooperatives are reclaiming farmland, managing shared water sources, and experimenting with drought-resistant crops. Environmental advocates say empowering these grassroots initiatives through accessible funding, training, and technology transfer is key to reversing decades of decline.
With strong political will, coordinated regional action, and equitable access to global climate finance, experts believe the Lake Chad Basin could transform from a symbol of loss into a model of regional cooperation anlpd climate resilience.
Saving Lake Chad, they say, is not just about restoring a lake it is about protecting millions of lives and securing peace across the Sahel.
