Unlocking Adaptation Potential: Insights into Nigeria’s climate change policies, initiatives and local actions

This report by the Africa Policy Research Institute evaluates climate change adaptation policies and locally led adaptation (LLA) in Nigeria. It argues that while the Nigerian government has established several national frameworks, these typically employ a 'top-down' approach that excludes frontline communities. Through three case studies in Ogun, Lagos, and Anambra states, the report demonstrates that community-driven initiatives—such as biogas production, aquaculture modifications, and traditional erosion control—are already occurring and align with national goals, but suffer from limited financing and a lack of integration into mainstream national discourse.

• Nigeria is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its diverse agroecological zones, growing populations, and extensive coastline, leading to systemic risks including infectious disease outbreaks, communal and farmer-herder conflicts, and decreased food security. These challenges are worsened by inadequate infrastructure, inequality, and a lack of climate finance for sustainable adaptation.
• The Nigerian government has implemented various climate frameworks, including the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the National Adaptation Plan Framework (NAPF), the National Strategy and Plan of Action on Climate Change in Nigeria (NASPA-CCN), and the Climate Change Act (CCA). However, these plans generally follow a 'top-down' model that fails to include the traditional knowledge and values of frontline communities in decision-making, leaving a gap in the evaluation of actual implementation on the ground.
• Locally led adaptation (LLA) is already occurring in Nigeria and aligns with national and regional policies, despite limited technical capacity and funding. LLA is characterized by bottom-up, community-driven initiatives tailored to local resources, but it is hindered by a lack of political will and the fact that climate adaptation has not yet entered mainstream national discourse.
• Case studies reveal specific local adaptation practices across different sectors: in Owode, Ogun State, communities use biogas from organic waste for forest conservation; in Lagos, fish farmers combat a 60% sector collapse by drilling deeper boreholes, using water treatment plants, and hybridizing fish; and in Abatete, Anambra State, residents use erosion-resistant trees and sandbags to prevent gully erosion and landslides.

APA

Ogunji, C. V., & Anieze, E. E. (2023). Unlocking Adaptation Potential: Insights into Nigeria’s climate change policies, initiatives and local actions. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/unlocking-adaptation-potential-insights-into-nigerias-climate-change-policies-initiatives-and-local-actions

Chicago

Ogunji, Chinwe Victoria, and Ethelbert Elochukwu Anieze. Unlocking Adaptation Potential: Insights into Nigeria’s climate change policies, initiatives and local actions. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2023. https://afripoli.org/unlocking-adaptation-potential-insights-into-nigerias-climate-change-policies-initiatives-and-local-actions.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ogunji |first1=Chinwe Victoria |last2=Anieze |first2=Ethelbert Elochukwu |title=Unlocking Adaptation Potential: Insights into Nigeria’s climate change policies, initiatives and local actions |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=7 August 2023 |url=https://afripoli.org/unlocking-adaptation-potential-insights-into-nigerias-climate-change-policies-initiatives-and-local-actions |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ogunji2023unlocking, author = {Ogunji, Chinwe Victoria and Anieze, Ethelbert Elochukwu}, title = {{Unlocking Adaptation Potential: Insights into Nigeria’s climate change policies, initiatives and local actions}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2023}, month = aug, url = {https://afripoli.org/unlocking-adaptation-potential-insights-into-nigerias-climate-change-policies-initiatives-and-local-actions}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }