Nigeria’s climate change projects are severely deficient in gender considerations, an Oxfam report has said, raising questions about the country’s commitment to using its international climate finance to address the peculiar problems of women, who are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis.
The report, ‘Fact sheet: The state of climate finance in Nigeria,’ launched by Oxfam in partnership with Connected Development (CODE) in Abuja on Monday, stated that Nigeria received $4.93 billion in international climate finance between 2015 and 2021.
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Henry Ushie of Oxfam who presented the report said 69 per cent of the 828 projects for which Nigeria received the climate finance fund did not incorporate gender considerations.
Only 16 per cent of the projects included gender as a key objective and a mere 1 per cent prioritised gender equality as the main goal.
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Experts stated that it raises concerns about Nigeria’s commitment to addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on women, who remain underrepresented in decision-making processes related to climate action.
Women in rural Nigeria, especially those in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors, face the harshest effects of climate change.
Referencing the report, Mr Ushie said these sectors received $1.5 billion—or 30 per cent—of total climate finance during this period.
However, he said, without gender-sensitive policies, investments are unlikely to resolve women’s specific challenges, such as limited access to land, credit, and climate-smart technologies.
Debt-driven climate strategy with gender blind spots
The report said Nigeria has received concessional loans from multilateral organisations such as the World Bank, which make up 64 per cent of total climate finance. While these funds support critical climate initiatives, the growing debt burden raises concerns about future budgetary constraints on social programs benefiting women and marginalised communities.
‘’A large portion of the funding came in the form of concessional loans, adding pressure to Nigeria’s already burdensome debt portfolio. While key sectors such as agriculture, energy, and water have benefited from international support, there are gaps in mobilising domestic resources and ensuring effective governance at both national and sub-national levels,’’ the report said.
The report explained that top donors include the World Bank, France, the European Union, the European Investment Bank and the African Development Bank. However, their investments often lack explicit gender-focused components, limiting opportunities for women-led climate adaptation initiatives and economic empowerment.
Absence of domestic gender-focused financing
The report stated that Nigeria’s domestic contribution to climate finance remains marginal, with only 4.7 per cent of funding between 2020 and 2023 coming from government sources. The lack of climate budget tagging makes it difficult to track how much of these funds, if any, are allocated to gender-sensitive programmes.
‘’Only 4.7 per cent of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) funding came from Nigeria’s government budget during this period; 4.1 lines of credit, 1.7 from financial support,’’ the report noted.
The 2021 Climate Change Act, which established the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) and the Climate Change Fund (CCF), was expected to address these gaps.
However, implementation challenges and governance concerns have stalled efforts to maintain gender-responsive climate action.
Nigeria faces growing wealth inequality
A second report launched on Monday by Oxfam, titled, ‘Takers, not Makers’, stated that the wealth of the world’s billionaires increased by $2 trillion in 2024, three times faster than the previous year, which has shown growing disparity between the ultra-wealthy and the global population facing economic hardship.
It also explained that in Nigeria, the wealth gap is widening, with the richest Nigerians accumulating billions while millions continue to live in poverty.
To address climate financing and inequality gaps in Nigeria, members of the panel, including Hamzat Lawal, Regina Afiemo, Hussaini Abdul, Otegu Ikoli, and Ifeoma Malo, said that Nigeria’s wealthiest individuals often acquire their fortunes through inheritance, monopolistic practices, or cronyism rather than innovation or earned income.
The panelists said a significant portion of Nigerian billionaires’ wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, further exacerbating the country’s inequality.
They pointed out that the richest 1 per cent in Nigeria controls an overwhelming share of the nation’s wealth, contributing to a growing divide between the elite and the impoverished majority.
According to them, Nigeria’s extreme wealth inequality is tied to systemic issues rooted in historical colonialism, which laid the foundation for today’s economic disparities.
They said there was the need for urgent government intervention, including raising taxes on the wealthy, reforming the tax system, and addressing the impact of colonial-era economic structures.
They also called on the Nigerian government to increase social sector spending, especially on health, education, and agriculture, to help reduce the wealth gap and alleviate poverty.
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They also suggested that global tax reforms are essential in ensuring the wealthiest individuals and corporations pay their fair share to combat inequality in Nigeria.
As Nigeria looks towards 2025, experts warn that unless comprehensive measures are taken to address the country’s wealth inequality, the divide between the rich and poor will continue to widen, worsening social and economic conditions.
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