Kaduna appoints climate desk officers across 23 LGAs

The Kaduna State Government has established local government climate change desk officers across all 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) to translate complex climate concepts into local languages .

Mr Yusuf Idris-Amoke, Special Assistant to Governor Uba Sani on climate change, disclosed this on Thursday during an interview at the Climate Hangout in Kaduna.

Amoke explained that the officers, designated as “Climate Champions,” serve as a vital link between rural dwellers and state policymakers by interpreting technical climate jargon into dialects understood by community members.

According to him, the desk officers were also tasked with gathering feedback on the negative impacts of climate change in rural areas, particularly concerning soil degradation, declining crop yields, erosion, and emerging health issues while transmitting the data to the central government for swift action.

“Climate knowledge is not just expert knowledge; it is also local knowledge.

“Environmental issues are local issues, so we need local innovation and adaptation strategies to deal with them effectively”, he said.

He noted that following the approval of the Kaduna State Climate Change Policy under Governor Sani’s administration, the state developed a comprehensive implementation framework and created the local desk offices to operationalise the policy at the grassroots level.

Idris-Amoke added that the Climate Hangout, initiated three years ago as a voluntary platform, brings together passionate environmentalists, experts, non-governmental organisations, and government officials to exchange ideas and foster sustainable local solutions.

He stressed that eco-innovations led by young people and women must offer economic empowerment to remain viable, encouraging innovators to explore commercial opportunities within their environmental projects.

Citing a practical outcome of the hangout, the Governor’s aide highlighted a collaboration between a local tailor, and a textile recycler, where waste fabric from tailoring shop activities is repurposed into recycled products, creating both environmental and economic benefits.

Idris-Amoke reiterated the state government’s commitment to supporting grassroots innovators through networking, policy backing, and data access to foster green livelihoods across Kaduna State.