Lagos: The Federal Government has pledged support for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) initiative aimed at mobilising investment to address climate-induced migration in West and Central Africa. The Minister of Environment, Mr. Balarabe Lawal, made the commitment on Tuesday in Lagos at a regional conference organised by the IOM.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the conference was targeted at bridging the gap between climate change policy and actual climate financing. Mr. Lawal, represented by the Director of Climate Change in the Ministry, Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, emphasized Nigeria’s continued support for efforts to bridge the gap between climate policy and financing. The conference, themed ‘Migration and Climate Action in West and Central Africa: From Policy Commitment to Climate Mobility Investment,’ convened policymakers, development partners, and financial institutions.
Lawal highlighted the region’s increasing environmental pressures, including desertification in the Sahel, coastal erosion in the Gulf of Guinea, and flooding across major river basins. These climate-related challenges, he noted, are disrupting livelihoods and compelling people to migrate, relocate, or become displaced. He stated that climate change acts as a threat multiplier, intensifying vulnerabilities and influencing migration decisions. However, he urged a shift in perspective, viewing mobility as a form of adaptation and a pathway to resilience when properly harnessed.
The minister outlined Nigeria’s proactive steps through its National Adaptation Plan, which provides a long-term framework for building resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate risks. The plan prioritizes climate-resilient agriculture, water resource management, disaster risk reduction, urban resilience, infrastructure, and ecosystem-based adaptation. Lawal added that Nigeria is integrating human mobility into its climate policy frameworks, recognizing migration as a legitimate adaptation strategy rather than solely a consequence of failed adaptation. He emphasized the need for greater investment in climate finance, resilient infrastructure, livelihoods, and stronger regional cooperation.
In her opening remarks, the IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Ms. Sylvia Ekra, stated that climate change is reshaping livelihoods, economies, and migration patterns across the region. She revealed that more than two million people in West and Central Africa have already been displaced by disasters, and up to 32 million people could be forced to move internally by 2050 if inclusive and effective climate action is not taken. Ekra stressed that mobility is not only a crisis but also part of the solution, enabling people to adapt, manage risks, and preserve livelihoods.
Also speaking at the conference, the Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca, reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to supporting IOM activities in Nigeria and across West and Central Africa. He described the EU as one of the world’s largest funding partners in the area of migration and pledged continued collaboration with the IOM on climate and migration issues.