By Okwe Obi, Abuja
The German government has allocated €100,000 to support the fight against climate change in Nigeria. The Head of Political Counsellor at the German Embassy in Nigeria, Matthias Dold, stated this at the Close-Out Event for the “Empowering Youth Civil Societies to Build Stronger Communities in Nigeria” project, organised by NGYouthSDGs, in Abuja.
Dold said: “We funded it with 100,000 euros. So it is one of many, many small initiatives that we have but I think that is why it was so special because with this fairly small amount of money they were able to do so much and spread it to so many different organizations across the country and reach so many people and communities and all of that.”
“Of course the sources of conflict and insecurity are complex so it is not only climate change but of course climate change can contribute, can make it stronger, especially when resources are reduced, when people can fight over resources, be it water, be it land, be it livestock, even minerals.”
NGYouthSDGs Executive Director, Joshua Alade, called on the Federal Government to formulate and implement climate policies with youth participation.
Alade said: “We have not only empowered young leaders, but we have also deepened our collective response to the climate crisis.”
“Youth engagement is not optional. It is essential. Young people are not just the future. They are the present, and their voices must be heard in the decisions that shape Nigeria’s climate policies, especially with regards to the Nigerian nationally determined contributions.”
“Through this project, we have witnessed firsthand how empowering youth-led civil society organizations can amplify climate action.”
He announced the launch of a case study on youth innovations and the provision of N5 million in seed funding to four youth-led initiatives.