Delegates from women-led organizations, climate-tech entrepreneurs, government officials and private sectors conveyed at the maiden Nigeria edition of Lagos Climate Resilience Salon on Wednesday 26 July 2023 at 21st Century Technologies, Lagos to discuss climate change issues, climate technology and cultivated solutions to critical and potential climate problems.

The salon attracted a group of attendees including the Acting Political and Economic Section Chief of the U.S. Consulate General, Kenise Hill, the Deputy Director of the Federal Ministry of the Environment the Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, Ini Umoh, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment & Water Resources and other dignitaries.

Shelley Taylor, Silicon Valley technology veteran and the convener of the Climate Resilience Salons during her welcome address spoke on the need for Lagos Climate Salon as women are often the most negatively impacted by climate crisis and are also most often the first in their community to respond to the crisis. “One of the goals of the Climate Resilience Salons is to help women working in nonprofit organization to transform their work into businesses where they can generate profits from climate solutions, increasing their family wealth and influence in society.

Kenise Hill, Acting Political and Economic Section Chief of the U.S. Consulate General emphasized that climate change crisis is a challenge that leads to loss of lives and properties. She spoke on the need to develop sustainable strategies to curb this menace. Speaking on behalf of the Director-General of NEMA, the Deputy Director, Research and Forecasting, z Abdullahi Adamu Usur, thanked the organisers and noted that Lagos Climate Resilience Salon comes at a critical time in Nigeria’s history where the country is faced with climate-related hazards causing serious threats. He guaranteed that more strategies such as effective disaster management and building of skills will be adopted to promote climate resilience.

Omotunde Adeola, the Deputy Director of the Federal Ministry of the Environment highlighted that “If we don’t take responsibility as individuals, we will not see the change we desire”. She emphasized the need to bridge the awareness gap, advocates for other means of power generation to reduce anthropogenic emission sources and assured that the government will do more in ensuring the sustainability of the environment.

Blessing Irabor, President of Organization of Women in Trade (OWIT) spoke on the need for government to collaborate more with the private organizations and NGOs while calling for policy reforms that will help women navigate through disasters caused by climate change as they contribute immeasurably to the growth of every nation. Glory Oguegbu, Founder of Renewable Energy Technology Training Institute (RETTI) highlighted the need for collaborations to address climate change. In her words “Climate change has gone beyond what only one person can do, there is a need to galvanizing female climate leaders from diverse industries to proffer solutions for the changing climate is a sure way to speed up a sustainable Africa beginning from Nigeria.

Some of the timely interventions suggested by the participants on the issues of Climate Change were better waste management, more temporary displaced facilities, use of food banks to counter food waste, encouragement of green entrepreneurship, timely interventions system to fix problems of climate change, promote use of organic fertilizer, advance climate change education; proactive climate policy implementation, encouraging individuals to grow food at home, implementation of strict laws guiding factory and industrial building to reduce air pollution and proper drainage system to tackle flooding.

Lagos Climate Resilience Salon is an initiative of trellyz Ref|Aid in partnership with Women Radio 91.7, OWIT Nigeria, Environmax, CCEPI, Accard Initiative, PAVE, ACCREC, Clearpath Leadership Awareness Network, supported by US Consulate General.

Nifemi Olaifa
Communications Officer,
Women Radio 91.7
communications@wfm917.com