Climate Advocates Urge World Leaders to Provide Grants, Strengthen Domestic Governance

Climate change is crippling agriculture and threatening livelihoods across Africa, climate advocates in Nigeria warned. The Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, Dr. Michael David, called for grants and debt cancellation to support climate adaptation in Africa. He emphasized that loans are no longer a solution, citing reports that only $11 billion in adaptation finance has reached Africa since 2021, which he described as "far too small." Meanwhile, Gloria Agema, Program Director of the Gee Foundation for Social Justice and Development, highlighted the importance of strong domestic governance through the Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) Bill 2025, currently before the National Assembly.

Key Takeaways:

• Dr. Michael David, Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, emphasized that Africa requires an estimated $53 billion annually to build resilient infrastructure, support smallholder farmers, and achieve food sovereignty.
• David called for grants and debt cancellation to support climate adaptation in Africa, stating that loans are no longer a solution.
• He described the current adaptation finance figure of $11 billion in Africa since 2021 as "far too small" considering the scale of the climate crisis.
• Gloria Agema, Program Director of the Gee Foundation for Social Justice and Development, highlighted the importance of the Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) Bill 2025, currently before the National Assembly.
• The ESHIA Bill 2025 seeks to replace the outdated 2004 Environmental Impact Assessment Act with tougher penalties, including fines of N10 million to N50 million for violators.
• The bill also creates a new national agency to monitor and enforce compliance, and embeds international best practices such as Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for communities and disaster risk reduction measures.
• David emphasized that environmental governance and adaptation are inseparable, and that international financing must be complemented by strong domestic legislation to shield Africa from the growing threats of climate change.

Statistics:

• Africa requires an estimated $53 billion annually to build resilient infrastructure, support smallholder farmers, and achieve food sovereignty.
• Only $11 billion in adaptation finance has reached Africa since 2021.
• The ESHIA Bill 2025 proposes fines of N10 million to N50 million for violators.

Sources:

• (allAfrica.com)
• (This Day Newspaper, 2025)