A non-governmental organization (NGO), in collaboration with the Network of Civil Society in Environment, has launched a groundbreaking initiative aimed at empowering women and promoting sustainable climate governance in Kaduna State.
Ms. Gloria Bulus, Executive Director of BTG, described the initiative as a strategic response to the escalating climate and developmental challenges facing communities across the state. She disclosed that the project is being funded through the Strategic Opportunity Fund under the Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE) Programme, which is supported by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
The six-month initiative, titled “Women Empowerment and Climate Resilience Initiative,” will be implemented in three Local Government Areas: Zaria, Chikun, and Zango Kataf.
“These areas have been identified due to significant environmental degradation, food insecurity, and low levels of female participation in governance,” Bulus explained. “Kaduna is confronting a complex mix of environmental and socio-economic threats, including large-scale deforestation and resource depletion.”
She cited recent data indicating that Kaduna lost over 5,400 hectares of natural forest in 2023 alone, releasing nearly 1.94 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. According to her, these environmental impacts have heightened poverty and climate-related anxiety, particularly among women, who often bear the heaviest burdens but remain underrepresented in decision-making spaces.
Despite their crucial roles in agriculture, business, and household resource management, Bulus said women continue to face limited access to platforms and tools that could help shape environmental and development policy.
“The goal is to place women at the forefront of climate resilience efforts,” she said. “The project will build their advocacy capacity, provide them with energy-efficient cookstoves, and support the development of a Climate Action Plan that is inclusive of women and persons with disabilities, in line with the Kaduna State Climate Change Policy.”
She stressed that empowering women in climate action is critical because they play central roles in natural resource management and economic sustainability, yet their input is often excluded from crucial policy dialogues.
The initiative is designed to bridge this gap by equipping women with tools for advocacy and encouraging collaboration among policymakers, civil society actors, and private sector players.
Bulus noted that Zaria, Chikun, and Zango Kataf were selected due to their alarming environmental conditions. Zaria LGA, for instance, has suffered severe vegetation loss, largely due to heavy reliance on firewood, which contributes to about 40% of deforestation in the area. Satellite imagery from 1973 to 2014 shows that over 80% of the vegetation cover in Zaria has been degraded.
Zango Kataf also faces significant challenges, including unpredictable rainfall, rising temperatures, and soil degradation. These conditions have increased the vulnerability of women and internally displaced persons, particularly in terms of access to water and fertile land. In Chikun LGA, communities like Kakau Daji are grappling with worsening environmental conditions resulting from firewood harvesting and pollution from nearby petrochemical facilities.
The initiative is anchored on four core objectives. The first is to strengthen women’s capacity for policy engagement by training them to participate in governance and climate decision-making. The second focuses on developing Climate Action Plans that are inclusive of gender and disability perspectives.
“The third objective is to promote climate adaptation by encouraging grassroots solutions such as clean energy adoption, reforestation, and climate-smart agriculture,” she said. “The fourth is to foster collaboration among women’s groups, government agencies, and environmental stakeholders to ensure collective action.”
BTG, the implementing organization, is committed to building sustainable and inclusive communities by removing barriers that prevent vulnerable groups from accessing opportunities and fundamental rights. As part of its environmental agenda, the group aims to plant 15,000 trees across the three LGAs. Already, over 3,000 economic and forest trees have been planted in Chikun, with an additional 6,000 planned through the support of the PACE programme.
The project will also include training sessions for journalists in Kaduna to enhance their capacity to report effectively on environmental and climate issues.
The PACE Programme works with coalitions to drive policy changes that address climate and governance challenges affecting vulnerable communities. It also aims to boost internally generated revenue, embed climate priorities into state planning and budgeting processes, and enhance the credibility of elections. The programme is currently being implemented in Kaduna, Kano, and Jigawa States, with BTG serving as a consortium partner and engaging stakeholders at both state and national levels.