Climate Beyond Borders Caravan Begins in Abuja, Targets Youth-Led Climate Action Across Africa

Climate Beyond Borders Caravan Begins in Abuja, Targets Youth-Led Climate Action Across Africa

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Ministry of Youth Development has thrown its weight behind the Climate Beyond Borders Caravan, a continental climate advocacy initiative aimed at mobilising young Africans to champion grassroots climate solutions and sustainable development across 17 African countries.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the caravan in Abuja, the Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, represented through a goodwill message, described Nigerian youths as “resourceful but underutilised,” stressing that they possess the creativity, resilience and innovative capacity required to tackle the growing climate crisis.

The initiative, organised by the People, Planet and Peace Foundation, is themed: “From Awareness to Action: Mobilizing Resourceful Nigerian Youth for Grassroots Climate Solutions.”

According to the minister, the Climate Beyond Borders Caravan will traverse 17 countries across West, East, Central and Southern Africa to promote climate advocacy, eco-tourism and community-driven environmental action.

He commended the organisers for choosing Nigeria as the starting point of the campaign, noting that climate change has evolved from being a distant environmental issue into a daily reality affecting millions of Nigerians.

“The North is experiencing desertification and drought, while the South is grappling with flooding and coastal erosion. Food prices continue to rise as changing weather patterns disrupt agriculture. The effects of climate change are now present in our homes, markets and communities,” the minister stated.

He, however, maintained that climate change also presents economic opportunities, particularly for young people, through green entrepreneurship, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, waste management and climate-smart innovation.

The minister highlighted ongoing government interventions under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including the establishment of the Youth Migration and Climate Action Resilience Department within the ministry.

He also referenced the ministry’s Circular Economy Youth Empowerment Initiative, popularly known as Waste to Wealth, which aims to create employment opportunities for 37,000 youths by converting waste into eco-friendly products and valuable resources.

Emphasising the importance of collective responsibility, the minister said practical actions such as planting trees, clearing drainage systems, recycling plastic waste and community participation remain critical in mitigating climate change.

He expressed optimism that the caravan’s activities, including the Abuja capacity-building programme, engagements in Ogun State and a climate walk in Lagos themed “Keep It Clean, Keep It Green: Our Environment, Our Responsibility,” would inspire grassroots mobilisation and long-term environmental consciousness.

“As this caravan journeys across Africa, it sends a powerful message that young Africans are not waiting for others to solve our problems. We are taking ownership of our future,” the minister added.

Also speaking at the event, Dr. Joseph Omoniyi of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology described the caravan as a strategic continental tour designed to identify local technologies capable of addressing climate-related challenges in different African countries.

According to him, the initiative seeks to build a database of indigenous technologies and lifestyle innovations that can be adapted by youths across participating countries to address environmental problems and support national climate commitments.

“The attempt is to find technologies that are peculiar to those countries and create a library of local solutions that can be harnessed by the youth,” he said.

Dr. Omoniyi further expressed hope that the exercise would culminate in a broader African climate summit where findings from the caravan would be harmonised to strengthen Africa’s contribution at global climate negotiations, particularly the United Nations climate conferences.

A Kenyan climate advocate and founder of Roots of Hope, Mariam Abdreshi, said the caravan was necessary because climate change continues to affect communities across Africa, especially women.

She noted that women remain central to community development and are often disproportionately impacted by environmental crises.

“As youth, we know we are responsible for building a better generation, but elders also have knowledge to guide us. This caravan is important because it connects communities and helps us grow a greener Africa,” she said.

The co-organiser and caravan leader, Olatunji Olayiton-Francisco, said the capacity-building sessions were specifically designed to equip young people with practical knowledge and advocacy skills needed to confront climate-related challenges in their local environments.

He explained that after Nigeria, the team would continue to countries including Benin Republic and Togo, alongside other selected African nations where climate champions have already been mobilised.

“Our expectation is that after empowering the youth, they will return to their communities and champion climate advocacy and environmental responsibility wherever they are,” he said.

Private sector stakeholders also pledged stronger support for climate action during the event.

Founder of Artuno and CarbonScope360, Ayo Ogunlowo, stressed the need for sustained advocacy, incentives and government-backed policies to drive youth participation in climate action.

He argued that climate interventions must go beyond awareness campaigns and produce tangible economic and social benefits for communities.

“We need advocacy, commercialization and governance working together. Climate action should not just be about ticking boxes; people must benefit from it,” Ogunlowo said.

He further advocated for locally developed innovations tailored to African realities instead of overdependence on imported solutions.

Ogunlowo revealed that Artuno recently launched a N100 million climate innovation fund to support environmentally sustainable businesses.

According to him, the first phase of the intervention had already supported three businesses involved in reusable sanitary pads production, alternative energy solutions and paper recycling initiatives aimed at reducing open burning.

He added that his organisation is also sponsoring more than 200 schoolchildren while supporting women-focused environmental empowerment programmes across communities.

Climate Beyond Borders Caravan Begins in Abuja, Targets Youth-Led Climate Action Across Africa