Chiemelie Eze
Niger State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Swiss-based non-profit organisation, My Climate, to discover alternatives within the carbon market and strengthen efforts to deal with local weather change challenges, significantly flooding and its influence on agriculture.
The Secretary to the Niger State Government and Head of the state’s delegation to COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, disclosed this in an interview, explaining that the settlement would assist the state entry carbon market alternatives to deal with recognized environmental challenges.
Usman stated the partnership was a part of efforts to deepen the state’s inexperienced initiative, which started at the arrival of the present administration.
He stated, “First of all, Niger State started its programme on inexperienced initiative at the arrival of this administration—the administration of His Excellency, Governor Mohammed Bago, the Farmer Governor. And lots has been finished; lots is being finished on this inexperienced initiative.
“And our mission to COP31 in Antalya is to additional deepen that achievement. And particularly, we got here in to signal an settlement with a improvement associate, My Climate.
“My Climate is a non-profit organisation based in Switzerland, and we have been working together for the past two years, and we felt a time has come for us to further deepen that relationship through the signing of a memorandum of understanding, and basically that’s why we’re here. And also, to key into other initiatives that are coming under the climate change programme.”
On the climate-related challenges confronting the state, the SSG recognized flooding and its results on agriculture as main issues, noting that Niger State’s location and the presence of 4 hydroelectric dams make it significantly weak to water-related disasters.
He stated, “Yes, local weather change is actual, and the impact is in all places on the planet, and in Niger State significantly, for those who recall, Niger State is housing about 4 hydro dams. That means we’re susceptible to floodings and different pure water disasters—that’s one.
“Two, you recall lately, nearly two years again, we had a Mokwa flood, and three, we even have another local weather change results in our farming and different agricultural-related areas.
“So to mitigate all these things, we have to be in tune with what is happening in the world, and of course, we are here, and we have seen what can be done, we have seen funds that we can access, we have seen partnerships that can work for us, and partnerships that will bring mitigation to most of these climate-related…”
Explaining the main target of the newly signed settlement, Usman stated the partnership had recognized three areas the place the state may gain advantage from carbon market alternatives.
According to him, the companions would work with the state to facilitate entry to the carbon market and mobilise alternatives to deal with the challenges recognized underneath the agreed thematic areas.
He stated, “It is a partnership that we’ve recognized three areas: three areas that Niger State has potentials for benefiting from the carbon market, and the companions are going to work to allow us entry these carbon market so as to deal with these challenges we’ve within the areas—the thematic areas we’ve recognized.
“So it’s a very important MOU that we have signed today, and we are proud that we signed it.”
