The Federal Government has unveiled plans to create a Climate Division within the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to promote sustainable, gender-responsive, and age-sensitive climate initiatives. This division will coordinate actions that engage women in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh on Wednesday. The government also intends to launch a Women in Green Economy Project in 2025, aiming to empower one million women in climate-smart agriculture and train 2,000 community-based female climate champions.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim outlined the key objectives of the programme, which include planting 10 million economic trees and plants, transitioning one million households to clean cooking energy, and supporting 1,000 female-owned climate-friendly startups. The initiative also focuses on training 500,000 women in agro-processing and empowering female climate leaders at the community level.
The Minister stressed that women play a crucial role in addressing climate change, and highlighted Nigeria’s progress in climate action, including the enactment of the Climate Change Bill and the launch of the Energy Transition Plan. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has committed to tackling climate change through a Green Economic Initiative, aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda.