By Martha Agas

Stakeholders have called for inclusive policies, stronger community participation and proactive interventions to address Nigeria’s growing climate change and environmental challenges, particularly in rural communities.

They made the call at a Multi-Stakeholder Climate Governance Dialogue organised by the Development of Educational Action Network (DEAN)  to  discuss  findings  of  the community  climate story lab in Paiko Thursday in Abuja.

The dialogue is part of its project, titled “Connecting Sahel Climate Stories to Local Governance Realities In Nigeria’ supported by The Pulitzer Center.

The Executive Director of DEAN, Mr Semiye Michael said increasing environmental challenges required stronger collaboration between government and communities, particularly as digital infrastructure expanded across the country.

Michael said the expansion of data centres, in spite their economic and technological benefits, could create additional environmental pressures, including rising temperatures and water scarcity in areas already experiencing climate-related challenges.

“Connecting the community stories in the Sahel to the reality of climate change is becoming essential because we are having a lot of environmental complications.

“This is especially as the digital infrastructures are expanding, so also the environmental implications are also expanding,” he said.

He said the environmental implications of technological development were often overlooked because the immediate benefits were more visible.

He expressed concern that cooling data centres required substantial amounts of water, which could affect water availability in host communities, explaining that a one-megawatt data centre might require approximately 70,000 litres of water daily.

“Some data centres are as large as 20 to 25 Megawatts,” he said.

The public, he said, should be aware of the implications of these centres and enquire of measures put in place to address raised concerns.

The situation, he said, could worsen as the Central Bank of Nigeria had directed financial institutions and payment service providers to store and manage locally generated payment transaction data within the country from January 1, 2027.

According to him, rising temperatures and increasing water scarcity are contributing to economic hardship and disrupting weather patterns.

He said appropriate policies must be put in place before expanding the centres, to ensure communities thrive without experiencing water poverty.

The DEAN boss urged communities to recognise their vulnerability to such situations and take proactive steps beyond political considerations to address the challenges affecting their welfare, livelihoods and agricultural productivity.

He said the dialogue aimed to promote discussions on policies and measures needed to protect communities from environmental consequences while ensuring they benefited from technological development.

He added that the event was part of efforts to build communities’ capacity to prepare themselves, particularly when establishing local committees, forging partnerships and seeking assistance when necessary.

Also speaking, a youth leader in Gwalgwalada, Mr Usman Mohamed, called for greater involvement of young people in policymaking, budgeting and the implementation of climate change interventions.

Mohammed also identified declining water availability and loss of livelihoods as consequences of environmental degradation affecting rural communities.

He urged governments, development organisations and community leaders to strengthen consultation and collaboration to ensure that climate interventions addressed local realities and promoted sustainable development.

On her part, Ms Chioma Amudi, National Desk Officer for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) said  climate considerations must inform infrastructure projects throughout their life cycle.

Amudi said infrastructure decisions in the power, transport, housing, water and waste management sectors could either accelerate climate change or strengthen communities’ resilience to its effects.

According to her, Nigeria must move away from conventional development practices towards climate-resilient infrastructure that supports economic growth, protects ecosystems and creates employment opportunities.(NAN)

Esited by Gabriel Yough