The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has assured the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) of the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to strengthening the capacity of Nigerians in climate change and energy transition.
Lawal gave this assurance while receiving a delegation from WASCAL, led by its Executive Director, Prof. Emmanuel Wendsongre Rande, during an official visit to the ministry in Abuja.
He emphasized that the ministry will continue to support, partner, and collaborate with WASCAL and other relevant institutions to address climate change challenges in Nigeria and the broader West African sub-region.
The minister also confirmed Nigeria’s participation in the upcoming International Conference on Climate Change in Nigeria and the Ministerial Conference on Climate Change in Guinea Conakry later this year.
Furthermore, he expressed appreciation to the German government for funding WASCAL’s initiatives in the region, which have significantly contributed to climate change mitigation and energy transition efforts in West Africa.
Lawal also commended WASCAL for its partnership with Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, and Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, in offering scholarships to Nigerian students to conduct research on climate-related issues.
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In his remarks, WASCAL Executive Director, Prof. Emmanuel Wendsongre Rande, highlighted the organization’s impact, stating that it has trained over 60,000 climate change experts at the undergraduate, master’s, and PhD levels through conventional universities.
He also noted that WASCAL’s research focuses on climate change’s effects on key sectors, including fertilizer production, mining, and agriculture.
Prof. Rande sought the ministry’s support in hosting the International Conference on Climate Change in Nigeria and the Ministerial Conference on Climate Change in Guinea Conakry.
