As a major step toward advancing climate resilience in Nasarawa State, the State Ministry of Finance has pledged to support relevant sectors in creating dedicated budget lines for climate action. The commitment was made during the capacity-building and sensitization workshop on climate change and health, organized by the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the IMPACT Project and with technical support from Development Governance International (DGI) Consult.

As Nigeria intensifies its response to the health impacts of climate change, Nasarawa State is taking concrete steps to operationalize its draft Health Sector Adaptation Plan (HSAP) in line with the National Health Adaptation Plan (HNAP). The one-day workshop was held on July 3^rd, 2025, at the New Keffi Hotel, Keffi, with stakeholders from the health and allied sectors. The workshop aimed to enhance the stakeholders’ understanding of climate-health linkages, foster multi-sectoral collaboration, and chart a course of action for the effective implementation of the priority intervention areas highlighted in the draft HSAP, ultimately laying the foundation for a climate-resilient health system in the state. Participants at the workshop included government stakeholders from the State Ministry of Health, State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance & Budget, Ministry of Humanitarian & Women Affairs, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, and State Emergency Management Agency.  Partners, including representatives of the IMPACT Project, World Health Organization (WHO), Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) and DGI Consult also participated in the workshop.

In the welcome address delivered by the Permanent Secretary, Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, Dr. Damina John, he noted the urgent need for cross-sectoral action, emphasizing that climate change impacts such as flooding, drought, and heatwaves not only disrupt ecosystems and food systems but also pose significant threats to public health in the state. He warned, “Climate change is not a distant threat; it is our current reality,” urging participants to actively engage and contribute to shaping a resilient health system in the state.

Dr. Damina John, Permanent Secretary, Nasarawa SMOH delivering the welcome address

Bridging Climate and Health: Strategies, Systems, and Financing for Resilience

As part of the capacity-building workshop, presentations were made by Dr. Gafar Alawode, the CEO of DGI Consult, and Opemipo Afolabi, a Program Officer at DGI Consult, to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of climate change, its health implications, and strategic responses. Dr. Gafar opened with a historical perspective linking the Industrial Revolution and population growth to rising greenhouse gas emissions. He explained how these emissions trap heat, causing global warming and climate change, and emphasized the urgency of addressing its root causes through informed mitigation and adaptation strategies.

He further highlighted the severe public health threats posed by climate change, including increased disease burden, malnutrition, climate-related injuries, mental health challenges, and forced migration, particularly in resource-constrained settings. He presented the WHO Operational Framework for building a climate-resilient health system, outlining its key components, including leadership, the health workforce, climate-informed programs, and sustainable financing. He also explained the rationale, objectives, and required actions associated with each component, emphasizing how they work together to strengthen the health system’s capacity to withstand and respond to climate-related challenges.

Dr, Gafar Alawode, CEO of DGI Consult (Lead Consultant) delivering the technical presentation

Furthermore, Opemipo Afolabi explained in detail how mitigation addresses the root causes of climate change through strategies such as transitioning to renewable energy, reducing waste, and promoting afforestation and reforestation to absorb carbon dioxide. She also explained how adaptation helps communities, ecosystems, and economies cope with the effects of climate change through measures such as building stronger, climate-resilient infrastructure and strengthening epidemic preparedness. She emphasized that both approaches must be pursued simultaneously to effectively combat climate threats. Her presentation also covered climate finance where she identified climate finance instruments, including domestic financing, grants, loans, carbon credits, and debt swaps, and called for climate-specific budget lines for health planning. She concluded by urging investment in institutional capacity and the design of evidence-based projects to unlock climate finance opportunities.

Mr. Godwin Joel Ewuga, Climate and Environmental Health Desk Officer at the State Ministry of Health, presented a detailed overview of the state’s climate-related health risks and priority intervention areas. He noted the state’s vulnerabilities and challenges in responding to climate impacts and outlined key action points aligned with the WHO framework for building climate-resilient health systems. He said that the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, under the leadership of Dr. Gaza Gwamna, has demonstrated strong political will in addressing the health impacts of climate change and promoting a climate-resilient health system in the state. However, he lamented that limited stakeholder awareness and technical capacity have led to weak responsiveness to climate health risks. According to him, there is a need to foster stakeholder consensus and strengthen coordination mechanisms among ministries and agencies to ensure effective implementation of the state’s priority interventions.

An Overview of Climate Change and Health Situation and Priority HSAP Interventions in Nasarawa State

Mr. Godwin Joel Ewuga, Climate and Environmental Health Desk Officer at the State Ministry of Health, presented a detailed overview of the state’s climate-related health risks and priority intervention areas. He noted the state’s vulnerabilities and challenges in responding to climate impacts and outlined key action points aligned with the WHO framework for building climate-resilient health systems. He said that the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, under the leadership of Dr. Gaza Gwamna, has demonstrated strong political will in addressing the health impacts of climate change and promoting a climate-resilient health system in the state. However, he lamented that limited stakeholder awareness and technical capacity have led to weak responsiveness to climate health risks. According to him, there is a need to foster stakeholder consensus and strengthen coordination mechanisms among ministries and agencies to ensure effective implementation of the state’s priority interventions.

Enabling Climate-Health Action: Unlocking Institutional Support Across Sectors

During a plenary session facilitated by Dr. Gafar Alawode, representatives of key Ministries, Agencies, and development partners shared reflections on how their institutions could support the Ministry of Health in implementing the priority areas outlined in the State HSAP. Stakeholders highlighted a range of ongoing activities, including flood response initiatives, behavioral sensitization for vulnerable groups, drought preparedness, deforestation awareness campaigns, environmental hygiene efforts, tree planting, climate-smart agriculture, waterborne disease prevention, and spotlight mapping.

WHO Representative, Dr. Emmanuel Okpe, contributing to the discussion during the plenary session

A significant outcome of the session was the commitment from the Nasarawa State Ministry of Finance and Budget Planning, through the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, Mr. Isa Abdul Osama, to support the creation of dedicated budget lines for climate-related interventions across all relevant MDAs. The Ministry further pledged to ensure prompt approval of climate-related budget submissions, an encouraging step toward accelerating multisectoral climate-health action in the state.

Leadership for Climate Actions

In a compelling session on Leadership for Climate Action, Dr. Gafar Alawode emphasized the critical role of leadership in advancing climate-resilient health systems. He explained that true leadership is not defined by position or power, but by positive social influence that inspires collective action. Drawing on real-life examples, he encouraged participants to see themselves as agents of change within their institutions and sectors. Dr. Gafar outlined key leadership functions, which include providing direction, aligning others and motivating action, and stressed the importance of empathy, courage, and integrity in leading effective climate responses. He urged stakeholders to apply these principles to drive the implementation of the HSAP and foster cross-sectoral collaboration for climate resilience in Nasarawa State.

Next Steps: Translating Dialogue into Action

To move from planning to implementation, the key next steps for operationalizing Nasarawa State’s HSAP were outlined at the workshop. These include establishing a Multi-sectoral Technical Working Group to coordinate implementation across sectors, conducting a fiscal space analysis for climate and health, costing the priority interventions identified in the HSAP, and developing a domestic resource mobilization strategy to ensure sustainable financing.

Dr. Gaza Gwamna, Nasarawa State Honourable Commissioner for Health delivering the closing remark

The Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Gaza Gwamna, reaffirmed the State Government’s commitment to building a resilient health system that not only advances Universal Health Coverage (UHC) but is also capable of addressing the growing threats of climate change. This commitment reflects a clear intention to move from dialogue to practical, coordinated climate-health solutions in the State.