Enhancing Climate Security in Nigeria's North West: Building Resilience for Sustainable Peace

Communities from Sokoto, Katsina, and Zamfara in the northwest region of Nigeria face a severe crisis due to insecurity and climate change. This has resulted in conflicts between farmers and herders and increased criminal activities like kidnapping and banditry. People have been displaced, and the environment has suffered from deforestation and desertification. Climate impacts like droughts, unpredictable rainfall patterns and floods further exacerbate these challenges.

adelphi, in collaboration with UNDP Nigeria, analyzed climate and security risks in North West Nigeria using the Weathering Risk methodology with local stakeholders. The team identified peace, natural resource management, and climate smart entry points in Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina for enhancing local resilience to climate and conflict risks. The team proposed a climate security pilot project to be implemented in the North West Region by UNDP called the Northwest Climate Peace Hubs. As a result, an agreement to kick-start the project was signed between UNDP Nigeria and the Norwegian government. This pilot project aimed to tackle the root causes of insecurity by implementing nature-based solutions and climate-smart livelihoods. It creates sustainable jobs targeted for youth and women, informs policies with climate-security data, and fosters traditional dispute resolution and resource management. Operating through state mechanisms, it expands to resource management and disaster agencies.