Niger Delta: PIND Rallies Stakeholders to Confront Growing Climate-Security Threats

The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has called for climate resilience to be placed at the centre of peace-building, development planning and environmental governance as climate-related pressures increasingly threaten livelihoods, community stability and human security across the Niger Delta.

Fresh Angle International, understands that the call was made at PIND’s Policy Roundtable on Advancing Climate Resilience, Climate-Sensitive Peacebuilding and Human Security in the Niger Delta, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The high-level engagement brought together policymakers, government agencies, development partners, environmental experts, researchers, civil society organisations, private sector actors, peacebuilding practitioners and representatives of climate-vulnerable communities.

At the roundtable, PIND launched its Policy Brief on Climate Change and Human Security in the Niger Delta, which presents evidence that flooding, coastal erosion, irregular rainfall and environmental degradation are reducing agricultural and fishing productivity, disrupting livelihoods and intensifying competition over increasingly scarce natural resources.

Delivering the welcome remarks on behalf of PIND’s Executive Director, Mr. Sam Ogbemi Daibo, PIND’s Peacebuilding Programme Manager, Dr David Udofia, said climate change must no longer be treated solely as an environmental concern. “Climate change is increasingly a livelihood, peace and human-security challenge in the Niger Delta. When farms are flooded, fishing waters are degraded, mangroves are destroyed and families lose their sources of income, the consequences extend far beyond the environment. These pressures can deepen poverty, increase displacement, aggravate community grievances and intensify competition over scarce resources. We must therefore integrate climate resilience into peacebuilding and development planning,” Udofia said.

Participants examined practical strategies for protecting climate-sensitive livelihoods, strengthening community adaptation, improving environmental governance and preventing climate-related pressures from escalating existing conflicts.

The roundtable also featured a demonstration of PIND’s newly deployed Climate Data Filter on the Niger Delta Peace Map, which integrates climate-related information into conflict analysis and early-warning processes. The tool will enable policymakers and practitioners to identify emerging risks, strengthen anticipatory action and make timelier, evidence-based decisions.

According to Chief Amiefamonyo Braid Fredrick Ongiri, Director of Relief and Rehabilitation at the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency (BYSEMA), coordinated action among government, communities, the private sector and development institutions is essential to addressing the scale and complexity of the challenge. “No institution can address the climate-security challenge alone. The evidence presented today reinforces the need for stronger coordination, better use of data and greater investment in locally led adaptation. The recommendations from this roundtable provide a practical foundation for collective action,” Chief Fredrick said.

Representing affected communities, Mr. Ebijimi Olugbenga of Bijimi Community, Ilaje Local Government Area, said climate-related changes were already disrupting daily life and placing increasing pressure on households. “Our livelihoods depend on the land and water, but flooding and environmental degradation are making it increasingly difficult for families to farm, fish and earn an income. Communities must be involved in designing the solutions because we experience these challenges directly and understand what will work locally,” Olugbenga said.

The roundtable built on recommendations from the 2025 Niger Delta Crisis Scenario Planning Workshop on Resilience Strategies, convened by PIND in collaboration with the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience, the Fund for Peace, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH under the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance Project.

The engagement concluded with recommendations for integrating climate-security considerations into public policy, community peace structures, environmental governance, early-warning systems and development programmes. The agreed priorities will be captured in a communiqué and post-event report to guide advocacy, policy engagement, programming and future collaboration.

PIND will also strengthen collaboration among policymakers, climate-resilience experts, environmental stakeholders and peacebuilding practitioners to improve anticipatory action and coordinate responses to emerging climate-related risks across the Niger Delta.

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