The Nigerian government and others in the West African sub-region have been enjoined to create enabling environment to encourage private sector investment in climate adaptation interventions.
General Secretary, West Africa Civil Society Forum (WASCOF), Mr Komlan Messie, made the call recently in Abuja.
He said a recent study published by the organisation in collaboration with Oxfam, and Abantu for Development among others, titled ‘The Private Sector and Climate Change Adaptation’, has underscored the need for a stronger private sector engagement in climate adaptation in West Africa.
Messie said the limited engagement of the private sector was a major barrier to developing innovative and scalable adaptations solutions in the sub-region.
“The private sector holds a huge potential to leverage financial resources, new technology, and services for climate adaptation initiatives in developing countries while still targeting the poorest households and respecting human rights,” he said.
He said the impact of climate change was already being felt by rural populations in West Africa adding that it posed a greater danger in the future, particularly if adequate global action was not taken to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
He said extreme weather phenomena were leading to accelerated land degradation in the Sahel region, along with increased food insecurity and poverty.
