In a significant stride toward building a climate-resilient health system, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoH&SW), in partnership with Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)/Lafiya Programme, convened a three-day workshop to develop a roadmap for the domestication of Nigeria’s Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP) for nine pilot States, including Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa and Yobe.

The workshop brought together Federal and State stakeholders, including Directors/representatives of States Ministries of Health (DPRS & DPH), Budget and Planning, Environment, and Agriculture; Executive Secretaries/representative of States Primary Health Care Development Agencies, SWAp State Focal Persons; and States Climate & Health Focal Persons. Also present were federal stakeholders, including representatives of FMoH&SW, Federal Ministry of Environment, National Primary health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) Secretariat, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and partners such as FCDO, Lafiya/Palladium, R4D, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), DGI Consult  and Afrihealth for Social Development and Impact (ASDI).

In the opening remarks delivered by the FMoH&SW Director of Public Health, Dr. Godwin Ntadom, he noted that the domestication of the HNAP document marks another significant milestone in Nigeria’s commitment to advancing national adaptation efforts and fostering a low-carbon, environmentally sustainable, and climate-resilient health system, in line with the COP26 Health Programme Commitment adopted at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) held in November 2021 in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

What the Workshop Aimed to Achieve

The primary aim of the workshop was to develop a clear and actionable roadmap for the domestication of the HNAP across participating states. It also served as a platform to share updates on climate and health interventions in Nigeria and enhance state-level stakeholders’ understanding of the importance of developing Health State Adaptation Plans (HSAPs) that address their specific local vulnerabilities and priorities.

Overview of the HNAP: Building Momentum for State-Level Action

According to the Director of Public Health, Dr. Godwin Ntadom, the HNAP is a national document developed through extensive stakeholder engagement, building on findings from Nigeria’s Climate and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) Assessment. It outlines the country’s specific vulnerabilities, priorities and implementation strategies, and provides a strategic pathway for addressing the health impacts of climate change across the country. 

He noted that the HNAP was formally approved at the 65th National Council on Health (NCH) held in November 2024 in Maiduguri, Borno State. Following this milestone, the FMoH&SW, in collaboration with the FCDO/Lafiya Programme, convened a high-level retreat with Honourable Commissioners for Health and Directors of Public Health/DPRS from all states to secure state-level buy-in and commitment for the implementation and domestication of the HNAP.

Building on this momentum, the Department of Public Health, FMoH&SW, in partnership with the FCDO/Lafiya Programme, organized the three-day workshop to develop a roadmap for the domestication of the HNAP in the selected pilot States.

Climate Change, Climate and Health Interventions in Nigeria

The FMoH&SW Director of Climate Change and Environmental Health, Dr. Zakariya Mohammed, set the stage for the workshop by presenting a comprehensive overview of climate change, highlighting its causes, both natural and human-induced and the far-reaching effects such as rising temperatures, extreme weather, pollution, and food insecurity. He emphasized the urgent need for strong policy actions on emission reductions, and increased investment in climate adaptation and mitigation to safeguard human health. 

Dr. Dave Mcconalogue, Senior Health Adviser from FCDO concluded the session by presenting a snapshot that shows climate and health work in Nigeria, highlighting efforts around building political support and leadership, creating an enabling environment, and driving on-the-ground delivery toward a climate-resilient health system.

The Health System in a Changing Climate

In a follow-on session facilitated by Dr. Zakariya Mohammed, he provided compelling evidence of the bidirectional relationship between climate change and health systems.  According to him, the health sector contributes 4.4% – 5.2% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally and the major sources of the gases being emitted in the sector are hospital operations, pharmaceutical production, and healthcare waste. Simultaneously, the health system is highly vulnerable to climate change due to increased demand, infrastructure damage, population displacement, restricted facility access, and heightened vulnerability among affected populations This underscores the urgent need for purposeful and evidence-based planning that prioritizes areas of greatest vulnerability. 

Orientation on HNAP Adaptation Template

Participants received a detailed walkthrough of the HNAP adaptation template by Dr. Obi, the HNAP lead consultant,  who emphasized the importance of aligning state-level plans with national priorities while allowing for contextual flexibility. He took the participants through the HNAP adaptation template guidelines to familiarize them with the process. He emphasized that while states are expected to tailor their Health State Adaptation Plans to their unique needs, they are encouraged to align them with the overarching Health National Adaptation Plan. It was agreed that Participating states would have to submit their draft HSAPs by 25th May 2025, while the final documents will be due for submission three months after the workshop. 

Prioritizing HNAP Interventions for Integration into Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0
Dr. Chinoso Agbo, Senior Climate and Policy Expert who facilitated the session emphasized the need for integrating HNAP interventions into the NDC 3.0 and the importance of prioritizing to ensure that limited resources are used effectively to address high-impact, scalable, and feasible interventions that can rapidly build readiness and resilience in the health sector. According to him, the HNAP identifies over 120 interventions, out of which about 40 have been prioritized across short-, medium- and long-term timelines. Furthermore, he took the participants through the processes used in prioritizing the interventions included in the NDC 3.0, which were built on V&A Assessment findings, identification and evaluation of over 120 interventions, financing feasibility, multisectoral co-benefits, policy alignment, impact on gender and vulnerable groups, scalability, and implementation feasibility.

Charting a Course of Action towards State Domestication

A group work facilitated by Lafiya program Coordinator, Dr. Gwarzo, was held to guide the nine participating states through the initial steps of developing their HSAPs. States were tasked with identifying the key support needed for successful implementation, outlining essential activities required to produce their draft plans, and setting a timeline for in-house validation. In a follow-up session, delegates were further asked to prioritize two critical activities to be completed ahead of the draft submission deadline. This process is to set the stage for the timely and effective domestication of the HNAP across the States.

Nigeria UHC Forum Introduced the Nigeria Climate Change and Health Assembly

Afolabi Opemipo, a program officer at DGI Consult-which is the secretariat of the Nigeria Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Forum, introduced the Nigeria Climate Change and Health Assembly (NCCHA), a national platform dedicated to building a climate-resilient health system. She explained that the NCCHA is an offshoot of the Nigeria UHC Forum, a coalition that fosters collaboration, policy dialogue, and knowledge exchange to advance universal health coverage. 

She further noted that the Assembly aims to unite stakeholders to coordinate actions, share knowledge, mobilize resources, and promote innovations toward advancing climate and health initiatives in Nigeria. It also serves as a hub for advocacy and accountability, ensuring Nigeria’s health system is better equipped to respond to climate-related challenges. Participants were encouraged to register their interest in joining the Assembly’s WhatsApp group to facilitate continued engagement and collaboration.

Next Steps: From Dialogue to Action

With the States now equipped with the knowledge and tools required to address climate-health challenges, they are expected to develop and submit their HSAP to the FMoH&SW, translating the knowledge gained at the workshop into concrete action.