Education
Coalition launched to increase youth participation in Nigeria’s NDC implementation – EnviroNews
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Stakeholders have expressed optimism that Nigeria’s recently launched Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Youth Coalition will play a significant role in encouraging young Nigerians to participate in the country’s climate initiatives.
Speaking at the alliance’s unveiling in Abuja, its president, Ms. Tolulope Gbenro, emphasised that the coalition’s primary goal is to support what youngstars are doing by providing them with a tangible platform to engage, rather than to replace or distort what other existing bodies are already doing.
According to her, it seeks to connect and sustain existing efforts, promote unity over competition, and create a common platform through which young people can collectively contribute to Nigeria’s climate agenda.
“Our vision is a united generation of young Nigerians actively shaping an ambitious, inclusive, and accountable climate future,” she stated.
The climate advocate cheerfully expressed that she hoped the coalition’s formation would help close the ongoing disparity between the amount of youth-led climate action in Nigeria and the degree to which young people are acknowledged and included in official climate policy and decision-making processes.
ActionAid Nigeria’s programme manager, Ms. Blessing Ifemenam, reiterated her organisation’s dedication to youth development, noting its support for the coalition’s formation to bolster her claims.
Although there are several youth movements, groups, and climate initiatives in Nigeria, she pointed out that both at the national and subnational levels, there is still a lack of knowledge and awareness regarding the NDC and its implementation.
“While young people do not make government policies themselves, they can make meaningful contributions to policymaking through evidence, technical input, advocacy, and engagement,” Ms. Ifemenam assert.
As a result, the ActionAid Nigeria programme manager asked the coalition to make sure that youth are not just invited to support decisions that have already been made but are involved from the outset of climate policy processes.
Dr. Awele Ikobi-Anyali, head of the legal department and services at the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) Secretariat, who delivered the keynote address at the event, pledged the Council’s readiness to be associated with the initiative.
She reflected on the Youth Climate Summit’s focus on the importance of youth action and highlighted the crucial role that young people play in implementing Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). She described the NDC as a dynamic document that encompasses various elements of the nation’s decarbonisation strategy.
“It is important to have an inclusive youth coalition with subnational and regional representation, because young people, civil society organisations, and NGOs are critical partners in achieving Nigeria’s climate objectives and the Council is present to listen and explore how it could engage further with the coalition,” she hinted.
The lawyer advised members to see the initiative as a call to action and a duty to serve their motherland in order to ensure the effective implementation of NDC 3.0 across Nigeria.
The country facilitator of the NDC Partnership in Nigeria, Mr. Huzi Mshelia, welcomed the launch and recognised the coalition as a potentially important bridge between young people, government institutions, development partners, the private sector, and civil society.
He elaborated that the coalition could help ensure that youth perspectives and priorities are integrated into climate policies, programmes, and investments.
Mr. Mshelia gave a summary overview of the work his organisation undertakes and said that it helps nations mobilise resources to carry out their NDC obligations. He therefore urged the alliance to concentrate on innovation, collaborations, knowledge and resource mobilisation, and real action.
“I encourage the coalition to embrace diversity and inclusion, particularly ensuring meaningful participation of young women, persons with disabilities, young people from vulnerable communities, and young people across Nigeria’s different regions,” the country facilitator of the NDC Partnership in Nigeria submitted
By Nsikak Emmanuel Ekere, Abuja
