Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Nigeria's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda

This policy brief argues for the integration of locally-led adaptation (LLA) into Nigeria's national climate strategy. While Nigeria has comprehensive national frameworks, they are largely top-down and fail to incorporate the traditional knowledge and agency of local communities. Case studies in Ogun, Lagos, and Anambra states show that local actors are already implementing effective nature-based solutions—such as biogas production, hybrid fish breeding, and contour ploughing—despite severe lacks in funding, technical support, and government inclusion.

• Nigeria faces severe climate-related risks, including sea level rise, storm surges, droughts, and desertification, which have led to infectious disease outbreaks, communal conflicts, and food insecurity. The country is ranked as the 7th most vulnerable country in the world by Verisk Maplecroft and 161st out of 182 by the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) in 2021.
• While the Nigerian government has established numerous adaptation policy frameworks—including the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the National Adaptation Plan Framework (NAPF), and the Climate Change Act (CCA)—these typically employ a 'top-down' approach. This approach often excludes frontline communities and their traditional knowledge from the decision-making process, leading to a lack of clarity regarding the status of adaptation activities at the local level.
• Locally-led adaptation (LLA) is identified as a more effective, efficient, and equitable model for Nigeria because it leverages bottom-up, community-driven initiatives tailored to local needs and resources. LLA allows frontline communities to have agency over the design, monitoring, and evaluation of adaptation actions, which is particularly critical given that over 70% of Nigeria's population is engaged in subsistence agriculture.
• Case studies demonstrate that local communities are already implementing successful LLA strategies. In Owode, Ogun State, communities are deploying biogas production facilities using agricultural waste to reduce dependence on forest biomass. In Lagos, fish farmers use bitter leaf juice (Vernonia amygdalina) to reduce fish mortality and crossbreed fish to create disease-resistant hybrids. In Abatete, Anambra State, residents use tree planting, sandbags, and contour ploughing to combat gully erosion.
• The primary barriers to scaling up LLA in Nigeria include a critical lack of financial support, limited access to credit and insurance for small-scale farmers, and a shortage of technical expertise. Additionally, there is a lack of synergy among stakeholders, overlapping responsibilities, and the exclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities from decision-making processes.

APA

Okeke, C. U. (2024). Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Nigeria's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/community-resilienceintegrating-local-approaches-into-nigerias-climate-change-adaptation-agenda

Chicago

Okeke, Chukwueloka Udechukwu. Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Nigeria's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2024. https://afripoli.org/community-resilienceintegrating-local-approaches-into-nigerias-climate-change-adaptation-agenda.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Okeke |first1=Chukwueloka Udechukwu |title=Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Nigeria's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=5 February 2024 |url=https://afripoli.org/community-resilienceintegrating-local-approaches-into-nigerias-climate-change-adaptation-agenda |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{okeke2024community, author = {Okeke, Chukwueloka Udechukwu}, title = {{Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Nigeria's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://afripoli.org/community-resilienceintegrating-local-approaches-into-nigerias-climate-change-adaptation-agenda}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }