Abia Govt Establishes Department To Tackle Climate Change

The Abia State government has established a dedicated Climate Change Department within her ministry of Environment, just as climate vulnerability assessments had been conducted across the 17 council areas of the state to establish scientific-based data for climate planning.

This came as climate community assets assessments were carried out across all the Local Government Areas in the state.

The senior special assistant (Public Affairs) to Abia State governor, Dr Ebere Uzoukwa disclosed this in a lecture entitled, “Climate-Smart Urbanization and Environmental Governance: The Abia Development model for Building Resilient and Sustainable Cities In Africa” which he delivered at the “2026 World Environmental Day Celebration” held at the Imo State University, Owerri with the theme; “Urbanisation and Climate Change: Building Resilient Cities for a Sustainable Future.”

The aide said in addition, Abia State had developed a 107-page climate Change Investors “Readiness Document designed to position the State competitively for climate financing opportunities and green investment partnerships.

The state, he said, had strengthened institutional climate governance by establishing climate desk officers across ministries Departments, Agencies and Local Government Areas. “Abia also contributed greenhouse gas data to Nigeria’s Biennial transparency Reporting framework while participating actively in national climate planning mechanisms.”

According to Dr Uzoukwa, the state had expanded Global Climate Engagement through participation in international climate platforms, including conference of parties climate conferences and implementation meetings under the United Nations Climate Governance Architecture.

On flood control,  Dr Uzoukwa disclosed that drainage systems and climate resilience had been established  in 2023 and the Flood and Erosion Control Department of the State Ministry Of Environment implemented multiple Climate Adaptation Projects across communities in the state through direct labour mechanisms designed to accelerate intervention delivery.

He enumerated governments efforts to tackle havocs wrecked by flooding, erosion, storm water accumulation in various parts of the state through strategic drainage engineering and flood channel infrastructure as well as discharge engineering governance.