06/06/2026
DAY TWO SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED: HIGH-LEVEL SYMPOSIUM ON CLIMATE CHANGE, CONFLICT, AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE LAKE CHAD BASIN
The second and final day of the High-Level Symposium on Climate Change, Conflict, and Natural Resource Management in the Lake Chad Basin concluded successfully today at the Borno State Hotel, Maiduguri, bringing together leading academics, policymakers, humanitarian actors, faith leaders, researchers, development practitioners, and community representatives to chart a pathway toward a more resilient and peaceful Lake Chad Basin.
The symposium, organized by Concern on Climate Change for the Community Initiative (FOURCi) under its UN OCHA Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF)-supported project, “Enhancing Community Wellbeing through Climate Smart Agriculture, Lifesaving Food and Nutrition Support, and Locally Led Resilience in Borno State,” focused on understanding how climate change, environmental degradation, conflict, and governance challenges intersect to shape the future of the region.
One of the highlights of the day was the powerful presentation and roundtable discussion led by Rev. Fr. Atta Barkindo, Executive Director of The Kukah Centre and Head of Secretariat of the National Peace Committee, alongside Rev. Fr. Bature, who shared deep insights into the conflict dynamics of the Lake Chad Basin and practical pathways toward sustainable peace.
Drawing from nearly two decades of research and engagement in the region, Fr. Barkindo emphasized that the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin is no longer simply a security challenge but a complex combination of climate stress, livelihood disruptions, governance deficits, displacement, social fragmentation, and justice concerns. He noted that sustainable peace cannot be achieved through military interventions alone but must include community trust-building, victim-centered rehabilitation, accountable governance, livelihood restoration, and stronger roles for faith-based and traditional institutions. He further highlighted the importance of creating a tangible “peace dividend” through investments in agriculture, fisheries, youth employment, and social cohesion initiatives.
The symposium also benefited immensely from a presentation by Dr. Mohammed Kaka Shettima, Lecturer in the Department of Geography, University of Maiduguri, and a specialist in Natural Resource Management, Climate Change, GIS, and Remote Sensing. Dr. Shettima examined the role of Early Warning Systems (EWS), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), climate monitoring, and geospatial technologies in reducing vulnerability and improving preparedness across the Lake Chad Basin. He emphasized the need for stronger community-based early warning systems, improved climate information dissemination, and greater investment in anticipatory action approaches to reduce the impacts of floods, droughts, displacement, and other climate-related hazards.
Participants were equally privileged to hear from renowned Paleolimnologist and freshwater systems expert Dr. Simeon Adole Akogwu, who provided a scientific perspective on the historical evolution of Lake Chad and the implications of its shrinking water resources. He emphasized that the future of the Lake Chad Basin will depend on integrated water resource management, improved transboundary cooperation among basin countries, sustainable utilization of aquatic resources, and evidence-based environmental planning. His presentation highlighted the importance of balancing ecological conservation with livelihood needs for the millions of people who depend on the lake for survival.
A major highlight of the day was the presentation by Mrs. Hassana Pindar, a respected gender and development expert, who delivered a compelling session on “Inclusive Climate Action: Integrating Gender into Climate-Smart Agriculture and Natural Resource Management.” She argued that climate adaptation efforts often fail to achieve desired outcomes because they overlook structural barriers faced by women and girls, including limited access to land, finance, climate information, and decision-making platforms. She emphasized that women are not merely beneficiaries of climate interventions but are farmers, innovators, resource managers, and first responders who must be placed at the center of climate resilience programming.
Mrs. Pindar further introduced the 4R Framework—Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute, and Represent—as a practical approach for designing gender-responsive climate programs. She called for increased investments in women’s access to climate information, extension services, land rights, climate finance, and governance structures. She also stressed that success should not only be measured by the number of women trained but by improvements in their agency, leadership, access to resources, and decision-making power.
Complementing this discussion, Mr. Bulus Dauda, Head of Programmes at FOURCi, presented findings from a recent study assessing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women and girls in Kukawa, Abadam, Marte, and Monguno LGAs of Borno State. The study revealed that increasing temperatures, erratic rainfall, desertification, declining water resources, and the shrinking of Lake Chad have significantly disrupted livelihoods, particularly for women and girls. Findings showed that climate change is strongly linked to livelihood disruption, declining agricultural productivity, reduced fishing opportunities, increased burdens of water collection, reduced household incomes, and worsening food insecurity.
The study also found that barriers such as limited access to land, finance, and climate information account for a substantial proportion of livelihood vulnerability among women and girls. Recommendations included expanding women’s participation in climate governance, promoting climate-smart agriculture, improving access to finance, and ensuring that future climate adaptation programs are intentionally gender-responsive.
Across the discussions, several key recommendations emerged for future programming and investments in the post-conflict Lake Chad Basin:
✅ Integrate climate adaptation, peacebuilding, and livelihood recovery within a single programming framework.
✅ Scale up climate-smart agriculture, irrigation, aquaculture, and natural resource management interventions.
✅ Invest in community-based early warning systems and anticipatory action mechanisms.
✅ Strengthen cross-border cooperation on environmental governance and water resource management.
✅ Promote gender-responsive programming that increases women’s access to resources, decision-making, and climate finance.
✅ Support youth-centered livelihood opportunities linked to agriculture, fisheries, renewable energy, and environmental restoration.
✅ Expand the role of faith-based and traditional institutions in peacebuilding, reconciliation, and social cohesion.
✅ Increase investments in research, innovation, climate data systems, and locally led adaptation solutions.
Other key notable stakeholders present were the DG of Borno State Agency for the great green world Usman Aliyu, the Rep of Food Security Sector Mr Kazeem. We also had some thrilling perfomance by the student of theatre department University of Maiduguri on the theme of the symposium. Other highlites include FOURCi celebration of 5 years in operation and the journey so far.
As the symposium concluded, participants unanimously agreed that the future of the Lake Chad Basin depends on moving beyond humanitarian response toward long-term resilience-building strategies that place communities at the center of development, environmental stewardship, and peacebuilding.
