Nigerian Climate-tech entrepreneurs seek to address climate crisis with US support
ABUJA – The U.S. Consulate General supported the first Nigerian Climate Resilience Salon that brought together women-led organizations, climate-tech entrepreneurs as well and representatives from public and private sectors who are leading efforts to combat climate change in their communities.
The Nigerian Climate Resilience Salon was organized by Shelley Taylor, a Silicon Valley technology veteran, and Folawemi Umunna, an alumna of the U.S. Department of State-funded International Visitors Leadership Program, with support from the U.S. Consulate General Lagos.
The salon attracted an impressive group of attendees, including the Acting Political and Economic Section Chief of the United States Consulate General, Kenise Hill; Omotunde Adeola, the Deputy Director of the Federal Ministry of the Environment; the Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed; Ini Umoh, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, among others.
Convener of the Climate Resilience Salons, Shelley Taylor, Silicon Valley technology veteran, during her welcome address, spoke on the need for Lagos Climate Salon as women are often the most negatively impacted by the climate crisis and are also most often the first in their community to respond to the crisis.
“One of the goals of the Climate Resilience Salons is to help some of the women working in nonprofits to transform their work into businesses where they can generate profits from climate solutions, increasing their family wealth and influence in society. Climate tech founders need help scaling their solutions into other regions and across borders too,” she said.
Kenise Hill emphasized that the climate change crisis was a challenge leading to the loss of lives and properties. She spoke on the need to develop sustainable strategies to curb the menace.
Speaking on behalf of the Director-General of NEMA, the Deputy Director, Research and Forecasting, Mr. Abdullahi Adamu Usur, thanked the organizers and noted that the Lagos Climate Resilience Salon came at a critical time in Nigeria’s history when its people were faced with climate-related hazards causing serious threats.
He guaranteed that more strategies such as effective disaster management and building of skills would be adopted to promote climate resilience.
Adeola, from the Federal Ministry of the Environment, emphasized the need to bridge the awareness gap, advocated for other means of power generation to reduce anthropogenic emission sources, and pledged that the government would do more to ensure the sustainability of the environment.
Blessing Irabor, president of the Organization of Women in Trade (OWIT), thanked Shelley Taylor for the initiative and spoke on the need for the government to collaborate more with private organisations and NGOs, and policy reforms to help women navigate through disasters caused by climate change.
The women-led organisations in attendance at the salon included founders of climate tech companies in Nigeria like Doyinsola Ogunye, founder of Kids Beach Garden, founder of Shoreline Euphoria, and Joy Egbe, co-founder of Newdigit Technology.
They shared experiences with other women like Baliqees Salaudeen-Ibrahim, Green Republic Farms, a farmer and climate activist, and Olasimbo Sojinrin, the founding country director, Nigeria, of Solar Sister, and Folawemi Umunna, founder of Climate and Ecological Protection Initiative.
GAROWE ONLINE
