Nigeria has been among the nations at the forefront of the global climate crisis for a long time now, grappling with profound impacts that resound on national, communal, and personal levels. We have witnessed impacts that weave through society disrupting daily life and inflicting severe physical and psychological damage. As these persist, it is important to note that these climate impacts have cascading effects that are unique to individuals and communities, reshaping social dynamics and leaving many families struggling to adapt to new realities. In this new reality, the physical and mental health toll is significant; deaths and injuries are being incurred and fear and uncertainty loom large.
In mitigating these challenges, the Nigerian government released its Climate Change and Health Adaptation Priorities, ahead of COP29 in Azerbaijan. This report outlines Nigeria’s plans to address the pressing challenges of climate change on public health and build on commitments made during COP26. The document also highlights Nigeria’s Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) assessment and details the Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP) for 2025-2030. The document emphasises the urgent need for support to implement these priorities, which is critical for enhancing the resilience of Nigeria’s health systems in the face of escalating climate threats.
In this article, we will explore some of the key findings of Nigeria’s V&A assessment highlighted in this document, which reveal significant health risks associated with climate change and underscore the importance of integrating climate resilience into public health strategies. The report identifies vulnerable populations and outlines specific interventions required to mitigate these risks, emphasizing that the impacts of climate change are projected to worsen across all regions of Nigeria. Understanding and working towards these adaptation priorities is essential not only for protecting public health but also for fostering sustainable development in the country, making this document a crucial resource for policymakers, health professionals, and community leaders.
So, what were the findings from the Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) assessment?
As mentioned earlier, the Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) assessment recorded by the Nigerian government provides insights into the health risks associated with climate change, highlighting the urgent need for adaptation. Going through the assessment it reveals that the severity, and magnitude of climate-related health impacts are projected to worsen across all geographic areas of Nigeria.
The findings indicate that under all scenarios, the country’s risk of climate change is increasing, which will strain healthcare capacity, heighten community vulnerabilities, and foster conditions conducive to disease proliferation. Specifically, the assessment records that Nigeria will experience an additional 21% burden of disease by 2030 due to climate change, with significant increases in waterborne diseases, non-communicable diseases, and mental health disorders.
Additionally, the assessment identifies specific populations, including children, the elderly, and pregnant women, who face heightened risks from climate impacts. The findings emphasise that certain geopolitical zones will be more adversely affected than others, particularly those in northeastern and northwestern Nigeria. The assessment also underscores the necessity for comprehensive adaptation plans that integrate health considerations into climate resilience strategies to effectively mitigate these anticipated health crises, because as rising temperatures and extreme weather events become more frequent, the health system is expected to encounter greater challenges in managing these impacts.
Now that the V&A assessment has been established and threats have been highlighted, to mitigate them a priority list was created called the Climate Change and Health Adaptation Priorities, which represents the approaches and plans needed to address the priorities recorded in the V&A assessment. The priorities were divided into short term (0-2 years), and medium-long term (3-5 years).
Short-term Priorities
The short-term plan, covering 0-2 years, focused on including health in national climate strategies like the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and developing robust multi-sectoral coordination. Among the priorities was the Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP) (2025–2030) which highlights strategic interventions like equipping the healthcare workforce with climate-specific training, strengthening the supply chain, and building climate-resilient health infrastructure.
Medium Long-term Priorities
Over the medium to long term, Nigeria’s adaptation priorities aim to enhance the resilience of its healthcare system in response to climate change over the next three to five years. Some key initiatives include establishing coordinated efforts among various sectors to improve responses to climate-related health impacts, updating early warning systems for climate risks, and launching educational campaigns for health workers to enhance their understanding of climate change effects.
A significant aspect of the priorities is the commitment to enhance technical and operational capacity at both national and local levels. This includes supporting states in implementing their adaptation plans and improving research efforts on the interactions between climate and health. The strategy also focuses on reinforcing public health infrastructure by modifying high-risk facilities to ensure they can withstand climate impacts and upgrading laboratory capabilities.
Current Programs and Initiatives
The document also expressed the current climate and health program focus on addressing the pressing challenges posed by climate change on public health. According to the release, these initiatives build on commitments made during previous international climate conferences, particularly COP26, and aim to integrate health considerations into national climate adaptation strategies. The government’s approach includes the development of the Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP) for 2025-2030, which outlines specific actions to enhance the resilience of the health sector. Some key programs involve establishing multi-sectoral coordination to ensure that health is prioritized across the board in national climate policies, as well as implementing early warning systems for climate-related health risks. Additionally, it mentioned that educational campaigns for health workers are being rolled out to improve their understanding of climate change impacts and equip them to respond effectively.
Looking ahead, Nigeria’s future health adaptation priorities emphasize the need for sustained efforts in improving the provision of climate-responsive healthcare at all levels. This includes operationalizing established coordination mechanisms that facilitate collaboration among different sectors in responding to climate change impacts. The government plans to maintain and update integrated early warning systems while supporting service delivery contingency plans for extreme weather events. It was also mentioned that training programs for health workers will be expanded to ensure they can effectively collect and analyze new climate-informed indicators, which will be crucial for monitoring health outcomes in a changing environment.
Furthermore, Nigeria aims to strengthen its public health infrastructure by modifying high-risk facilities to enhance their resilience against climate impacts. This involves upgrading laboratory capabilities and ensuring that procurement and supply chains in the country are more resilient to climate change. Community-level health outcomes will also be prioritized through capacity-building programs designed to empower local populations in responding to adverse weather events. Overall, these future priorities reflect Nigeria’s commitment to mitigating the health impacts of climate change while pushing for holistic development across the country in the face of climate change.
Conclusion
The Nigerian government’s climate change and health adaptation plan is particularly noteworthy, and so it is very important to know that to effectively tackle Nigeria’s climate change and health adaptation priorities, a collaborative effort among government, private organizations, and civil society groups is essential. Private organizations need to be ready to integrate these priorities into their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, while Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) must also be ready to leverage them to enhance their strategies.
It was good to see a show of concern for people’s psychological well-being on the priority list. The escalating impacts of climate change in Nigeria not only threaten physical health but also significantly affect mental well-being. Vulnerable populations are particularly at risk, facing heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders as a direct consequence of climate-related events such as floods and droughts. These conditions can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eco-anxiety, and feelings of helplessness, exacerbating the existing health challenges within communities. So with this recognition and lofty plans carried out effectively and thoroughly, this strategy will not only enhance resilience but also ensure that mental health support is readily available, thereby promoting overall community stability.
By prioritizing these adaptation strategies, CSOs and private organizations can play a crucial role in building resilience against the multifaceted impacts of climate change on both physical and mental health. Their involvement is vital for fostering a supportive environment that addresses the psychological effects of climate change while promoting overall community health. This priority list should not be left for the government to work with, it requires a collaborative effort for outcomes to be seen swiftly.