National Adaptation Strategy and Plan of Action on Climate Change for Nigeria (NASPA-CCN).

This National Adaptation Strategy moves from the consideration that climate change is the latest challenge to sustainable human development, impedes efforts to reduce the poverty of the country, retards the achievement of its development objectives and leads to other negative impacts such as ecosystem degradation and reduced availability of water and food. In order to prepare for and respond effectively to the effects of climate change, this Strategy focuses on adaptation as the proper way to take into account the gender-differentiated needs and roles of the society. The Strategy analyses how climate change impacts affect the various sectors of Nigerian society, including: 1) agriculture, crops and livestock: climate change impacts lead to production losses and compromise the achievement of Millennium Development Goals; 2) freshwater resources, coastal water resources and fisheries: climate change affects the nature and characteristics of water resources exacerbating problems such as floods, droughts, saltwater intrusion, rising sea level; 3) forests: climate change increases population’s demand for forest resources and impacts on forest growth and development; 4) biodiversity: climate change impacts on organisms, species and their habitats, as it increases aridity, intensity and variability of rainfall, leads to loss of livelihoods and to the displacement of valuable ecosystems; 5) health and sanitation: climate change impacts on natural resources also affect the health of Nigerians, resulting in malnutrition, spread of infectious diseases, food-and water-borne illness and air pollution; 6) energy: climate change effects on coastal and offshore areas puts at risk Nigeria’s oil and gas investment, while impacts on hydroelectric and thermal generation increases negative effects on electrical power supply and fuel-wood scarcity increases pressure on forest resources.
In order to offer a national response to climate change, this Strategy defines climate change adaptation as an integrated component of sustainable development, aiming at reducing vulnerability and enhancing resilience and adaptive capacity of all economic sectors to the impacts of climate change and increasing resilience and sustainable wellbeing of Nigerian people. Objectives to be achieved by this Strategy to implement adaptation measures include: improve awareness and preparedness for climate change impacts; mobilise communities for adaptation actions; reduce the impacts on key sectors and vulnerable people, above all children, women; integrate adaptation measures into Federal, local States, educational organisations, civil society planning.
Concerning each core sector, the Strategy focuses on specific measures: 1) Agriculture: adopt improved agricultural systems for both crops and livestock, increasing access to drought resistant crops and livestock feeds, improving soil management practices, providing early warning meteorological forecast; implement strategies for improved resource management, increasing use of innovative irrigation systems, increasing rainwater and groundwater use in agriculture and planting of native vegetation; focus on agricultural impacts in areas and zones most affected by climate change impacts. 2) Freshwater resources, coastal water resources and fisheries: creation of a national programme for integrated water resource management at watershed level; intensify programmes to survey water quality for both ground and surface water; implement programmes to improve water supply and water management infrastructure; explore water efficiency and management of water demand in less developed areas; enhance artisanal fisheries and encourage aquaculture. 3) Forests: strengthen the implementation of national Community-based Forest Resources management programme and review national forest Policy; facilitate monitoring of forest status; establish and restore community and private natural forests through proper services; improve management of forest reserves and enforce low impact logging practice. 4) Biodiversity: support and implement programmes for reducing unsustainable resource use and reduce loss of biodiversity. 5) Health and Sanitation: better understanding the health impacts of climate change; strengthen disease prevention; reinforce programmes to maintain wastewater and solid waste management facilities; establish early warning and health surveillance programmes. 6) Energy: undertake risk assessment and risk reduction measures to increase resilience of the sector; develop and diversify secure energy backup systems; expand sustainable energy sources.