By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
Environmental experts have called for gender-inclusive approaches to combating desertification, warning that Northern Nigeria loses about 350,000 hectares of land annually to the environmental menace, while Lake Chad has shrunk from 25,000 square kilometres in the 1960s to less than 1,500 square kilometres today.
The experts made the call during a one-day virtual Expert Training on Desertification in Northern Nigeria, stressing that women, girls, youth, farmers, pastoralists and other vulnerable groups must be placed at the centre of restoration and adaptation efforts.
They noted that addressing desertification without considering its disproportionate impact on women amounts to tackling only half of the problem.
The experts further emphasized that empowering women to adapt, lead and manage land and water resources significantly enhances the effectiveness of environmental interventions.
In his welcome address, Executive Director of the Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF), Comrade Sani Baba, said climate change has intensified environmental challenges across Nigeria, including rising sea levels, coastal and gully erosion, loss of forest cover and declining biodiversity.
“We make bold to say we are under assault,” he said.
According to him, the workshop was timely given the continued southward advance of the Sahara Desert across parts of Northern Nigeria.
“If we take the situation in about 14 northern states where the Sahara continues to march downwards, this Expert Workshop on Desertification in Northern Nigeria is timely,” he stated.
Baba explained that desert encroachment now affects nearly 45 per cent of Nigeria’s landmass, particularly in states such as Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.
“Studies show that the region loses about 350,000 hectares of land annually to desertification,” he said.
He added that climate change has significantly reduced the size of Lake Chad, with devastating consequences for livelihoods across the region.
“Lake Chad has declined from about 25,000 square kilometres in the 1960s to less than 1,500 square kilometres today. This decline has not only affected the landscape but has also disrupted the livelihoods of over 40 million people who depend on the lake for fishing and farming. The region is now experiencing dwindling or no rainfall,” he said.
Baba also identified human activities such as overgrazing and unsustainable farming practices as factors worsening desertification.
He noted that millions of people across Northern Nigeria are already facing the consequences, including crop failures, water scarcity and recurring farmer-herder conflicts.
According to him, despite various government interventions, the impact has remained limited, while the issue continues to receive inadequate media attention.
He said the training was organised to equip journalists and community activists with the knowledge and skills needed to report effectively on desertification and drive policy action through informed public engagement.
Speaking on the gender dimensions of the crisis, Trustee of the Community Based Initiative for Growth, Azizat Adangba, said desertification should not be viewed solely as an environmental issue.
“We cannot discuss desertification without looking at the woman angle,” she said.
Adangba noted that women bear the brunt of the crisis, describing it as not only an environmental challenge but also an economic, health, food security and social welfare issue.
“For millions of women in Northern Nigeria, desertification is an economic crisis, a health crisis, a food security crisis and a social welfare challenge,” she said.
She stressed that no desertification strategy would succeed without a deliberate and adequately funded gender framework integrated from planning to evaluation.
Chairman of the Socialist Workers League, Ayemhenre Kelvin, described desertification as an environmental, economic, labour and social justice issue.
He identified natural factors, human activities and political-economic drivers as major causes of land degradation.
Kelvin explained that rising food prices and declining agricultural productivity resulting from desertification place additional financial burdens on workers and households.
He noted that the loss of rural livelihoods continues to drive migration to urban centres, where limited employment opportunities force many into unstable and informal jobs.
“Desertification contributes to rising temperatures and harsher environmental conditions, especially for workers in outdoor occupations such as construction, transportation and manual labour. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat increases fatigue, reduces productivity and exposes workers to serious health risks, including dehydration and heat-related illnesses,” he said.
Also speaking, Executive Director of the Centre for Transparency Advocacy, Faith Nwadishi, described desertification as a threat to livelihoods, food security, water availability, peace and good governance.
She called for restoration programmes, climate adaptation measures and equitable resource management across affected communities.
Nwadishi insisted that women, girls, youth, farmers, pastoralists and vulnerable groups must be actively involved in decision-making processes.
“Government action must be evidence-based, transparent and sustained beyond ceremonies. Protecting land is protecting lives, food, peace and the future,” she said.
Founder of the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Philip Jakpor, highlighted the critical role of the media in raising awareness and driving action against desertification.
He said effective reporting should focus on the human and economic consequences of land degradation rather than merely presenting environmental statistics.
According to him, journalists should pay greater attention to the experiences of affected communities, women, children, workers, displaced persons and other vulnerable populations, while also highlighting the economic costs of desertification.
Jakpor urged reporters to avoid sensationalism, armchair reporting and narratives of hopelessness, stressing the importance of evidence-based and solution-oriented journalism.
He cited the shrinking of Lake Chad as a compelling example of a story that combines environmental, social and economic dimensions and deserves sustained media attention.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
