The ActionAid Nigeria-led ANEEJ (Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice) organized a capacity-building workshop titled “Empowering Youth for Climate Action and Social Protection in Nigeria” on Thursday, December 4, 2025. The event, held in Awka, is part of the implementation of the Tackling Poverty through Livelihood Support, Advocacy for Social Protection, Climate Justice, and Anti-Corruption project, supported by Bread for the World, Germany.
The workshop brought together youth leaders, civil society representatives, and government officials to discuss climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods, and social protection measures in Nigeria. Participants included representatives from the National Youth Council of Nigeria, CSOs, and youth groups from Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, and Anambra State.
Among notable attendees were Prof. Philip O. Phil-Eze (JP), Managing Director/CEO of the Anambra State Erosion, Watershed and Climate Change Agency, the Anambra State Commissioner for Youth Development (represented by PS Eng. Martin Agbili), the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning (represented by Ambassador Uchenna, SSA to the Governor), and Angaokei Chizoba Maryann, SSA to the Governor on Youth Development.
In her keynote address, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning highlighted the state government’s efforts to integrate climate considerations into its Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, prioritizing erosion control, clean energy initiatives, and sustainable infrastructure development. She added that social protection remains central to Anambra State’s development vision, emphasizing programs that directly empower young people.
The Commissioner for Youth Development also outlined ongoing youth empowerment initiatives, including the “One Youth, Two Skills” project, which has trained and supported over 13,300 youths, with an additional 20,000 targeted in the next phase.
Prof. Philip O. Phil-Eze praised ANEEJ and Bread for the World for supporting youth-centered climate interventions. He emphasized that Anambra State is unique in the Southeast for having a dedicated agency addressing climate change, demonstrating institutional and political readiness to tackle environmental challenges.
ANEEJ Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor, represented at the event by Programme Manager Ighodi Edemhanria, explained that the workshop aims to scale up sustainable livelihood support, promote social protection reforms, strengthen anti-corruption advocacy, and integrate climate justice approaches into governance systems. He noted that youths from the Niger Delta and South-South regions face pressing challenges including environmental degradation, unemployment, and weak social protection systems, but emphasized that young people hold the potential to turn these challenges into opportunities.
The ANEEJ workshop provided participants with practical knowledge, strategies, and networks to become active advocates for climate action, social protection, and accountable governance in their communities.President Tinubu Swears in Gen. Christopher Musa as Nigeria’s Minister of Defence
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