By Ibrahim Shaibu Damaturu
Plan International Nigeria has intensified its efforts to combat climate change and disaster risks by convening a two-day policy dialogue and budget advocacy workshop in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.
The workshop, organised under the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance (ZCRA) project with support from the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (YOSEMA), brought together government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) alongside non-governmental stakeholders to address the pressing need for strengthened climate resilience financing in the state.
Speaking at the opening of the event on Monday, Mathew Aliyu, the Plan International Nigeria Programme Officer under the ZCRA project, said the engagement was necessitated by the need to review existing policies against baseline evidence.
Aliyu explained that the dialogue provides a platform to identify policy gaps, align government interventions with current realities, and develop practical approaches to strengthening climate resilience in Yobe State.
He expressed optimism that participants would make firm commitments toward advancing climate resilience, particularly through improved collaboration among the various MDAs represented at the workshop.
The Plan International-led training is designed to equip participants with the requisite knowledge and capacity to access climate finance, while also promoting transparent and accountable budget allocations specifically targeted at climate resilience and disaster risk reduction.
The initiative is primarily aimed at ensuring the integration of disaster risk reduction into the state's planning and budgeting processes a critical step toward tackling the escalating challenges of climate change.
Also speaking, Al-Sheik Mustapha, Director Planning, Research and Statistics and programme facilitator, explained the training focused on climate change financing and explored various approaches to funding related interventions, including disaster risk management and reduction.
Mustapha expressed hope that the workshop would result in a coordinated and comprehensive approach to improving climate change financing in Yobe State.
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants are expected to establish stronger institutional commitments, develop clear policy recommendations, and improve inter-agency coordination.
0 Comments