The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal has assured the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adopted Land Use (WASCAL) of the Federal Government’s commitment to enhance the capacity of Nigerians regarding climate change and energy transition.
The minister made this statement while receiving a delegation from WASCAL, led by its director, Dr. Emmanuel Rande during an official visit to the ministry in Abuja.
Balarabe emphasised that the ministry will continue to support, partner with and collaborate with WASCAL and similar institutions in addressing climate change-related issues in the West African sub-region, particularly in Nigeria.
He also mentioned that the ministry plans to participate in the forthcoming International Conference on Climate Change in Nigeria, as well as the Ministerial Conference on Climate Change in Conakry, Guinea, later this year.
The minister took the opportunity to express gratitude to the German government for funding WASCAL’s activities in the region, which are vital for effective climate change mitigation and energy transitions in West Africa.
Additionally, he commended WASCAL for providing scholarships to Nigerian students at two universities: Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State and the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, to study climate-related topics.
In his opening remarks, Rande noted that the organisation has produced over 60,000 climate change experts with bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and PhDs through conventional universities.
According to a statement from the ministry’s director of information and public relations, Ibrahim Haruna, their programmes also include research on the effects of climate change on fertiliser production, mining and agriculture, among other areas.
Rande sought the ministry’s support in hosting the International Conference on Climate Change in Nigeria and the Ministerial Conference on Climate Change in Conakry, Guinea, later this year.
