The Federal Government has announced plans to establish a Climate Division within the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. This division will spearhead sustainable, gender-responsive, and age-sensitive climate initiatives. The Minister for Women’s Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, made this announcement during her address at the ongoing United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh.
The ministry also plans to launch the Women in Green Economy Project in 2025. This project aims to empower one million women in climate-smart agriculture and train 2,000 community-based female climate champions. The project will also engage women in planting 10 million economic trees and plants, including the Nopal Cactus Cladodes, which helps combat desertification and improve soil health.
Additionally, the project will transition one million households to clean cooking energy, support 1,000 female-owned climate-friendly startups, train 500,000 women in agro-processing, and equip 2,000 community-based female climate champions to aid data collection and sensitization in their communities.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim highlighted Nigeria’s recent strides in combating climate change, including enacting the Climate Change Bill, establishing the National Council on Climate Change, and launching the Energy Transition Plan. She emphasized the critical role of women in addressing environmental challenges, describing climate change as a women’s issue.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also established a committee to oversee the Green Economic Initiative, a strategic plan to tackle climate challenges in Nigeria. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs remains committed to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu and will ensure full alignment with existing policy frameworks.
