Bel©m: The Customs Officers Wives Association (COWA) has announced plans to plant 5,000 trees across 50 Nigerian border communities. This initiative marks a significant step toward promoting climate action in border areas, aiming to strengthen environmental resilience in some of the country’s most vulnerable regions. The targeted communities are heavily affected by deforestation, land degradation, and other climate-related challenges.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, COWA President Kikelomo Adeniyi disclosed the initiative during the global unveiling of the Green Borders Sustainability Initiative on the sidelines of the COP30 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bel©m, Brazil. Adeniyi revealed that the pilot communities spanned 21 states and 105 local government areas. The programme includes training 1,000 women and youths in waste segregation, plastic recycling, and clean-energy enterprises. Additionally, solar-powered eco-hubs are set to be established to operate as community clean-energy and recycling centres nationwide.
Adeniyi announced plans for a N15 billion sustainability and innovation centre aimed at providing climate education, vocational training, and renewable-technology development for 5,000 beneficiaries annually. This initiative seeks to strengthen national capacity for green enterprise and environmental stewardship. She stressed that border communities face early impacts of deforestation, pollution, and desert encroachment, and the initiative aims to deliver climate solutions directly to these areas where environmental degradation and human vulnerability intersect most severely.
The year-long pilot aligns with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions and global sustainability goals. It is positioned as a replicable African model linking family, trade, and environmental care across multiple border communities. Adeniyi appealed to development agencies, donors, and private partners to support the construction of the COWA sustainability centre in Abuja, describing it as West Africa’s first specialised institution for women-led climate education and capacity development.
She called for collaboration from technical organisations, private investors, and international NGOs on tree-planting, recycling, and solar deployment. Adeniyi highlighted that women-led grassroots leadership could drive national progress in climate responsibility and sustainable development.