Nigeria is working to establish a framework to attract climate finance for smallholder farmers, with experts advocating targeted investments, digital accountability and stronger financial systems to address the effects of climate change on agriculture.

The initiative aims to improve access to financing for farmers affected by drought, flooding and other climate-related challenges.

Chairman of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT), Dr Dahiru Muhammed, disclosed this at a Taxonomy Validation Workshop on Adaptation and Resilience Solutions organised by PICTT, in collaboration with YAPU Solutions.

Muhammed said the workshop was designed to develop an implementation framework for national taxonomy, which defines activities eligible for climate finance.

He explained that the Federal Ministry of Finance and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) were working on the national taxonomy, while PICTT and its partners were focusing on making the framework operational and accessible to rural communities.

“Having a national taxonomy is good, but without defining which activity qualifies as adaptive or resilient to climate change, there is no way you can access the financing,” he said.

Muhammed clarified that the financing had not yet been assessed, noting that stakeholders were still developing the framework and identifying the partners required to implement it.

He said governments at the federal, state and local levels should work together to address climate-related challenges, particularly flooding, through improved infrastructure and effective mitigation measures.

On PICTT’s achievements, he highlighted its work in technology transfer, agricultural development and helping entrepreneurs transform research into commercially viable products.

Country Representative of WorldFish in Nigeria, Dr Charles Nyangbe, said Nigeria needed financial instruments tailored to the different climate challenges confronting farmers.

He noted that northern Nigeria faced drought, while southern communities experienced flooding and waterlogging, requiring different adaptation strategies and financing arrangements. (Nigerian Tribune)