Nigeria’s climate, debt crises hit women, girls, children hardest — ActionAid

ABUJA – ActionAid Nigeria and its partners have called for urgent action to address the growing link between climate change and unsustainable debt, warning that women, girls, children and communities on the frontlines of climate impacts are bearing the greatest burden.

The call followed the release of ActionAid’s international flagship report, Debt Fuels the Climate Crisis: How the Finance Flows, which examines the relationship between debt and climate finance in vulnerable countries.

According to the report, the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries are spending nearly 25 times more on debt repayments than on climate action, while 93.5 per cent are either in debt crisis or at significant risk of debt distress.

ActionAid Nigeria said the global findings have direct implications for Nigeria, where rising climate pressures are occurring alongside significant demands on public finances.

The organisation cited the experience of Finegirl, a 59-year-old farmer, mother and grandmother from the Niger Delta, who described how oil pollution has contaminated rivers, undermined farming and fishing, and damaged the environment on which local communities depend.

According to ActionAid, such environmental degradation and increasingly severe weather events are contributing to the loss of livelihoods, rising food costs and deeper poverty among affected households.

Debt pressure threatens climate investment
The report projects that Nigeria’s debt repayments will consume more than half of government revenue in 2026.

At the same time, ActionAid noted that nearly 40 per cent of Nigeria’s population remains without access to electricity, despite the country being Africa’s largest fossil fuel producer.

The organisation questioned how Nigeria can adequately finance flood protection, resilient agriculture, healthcare, education, renewable energy and support for climate-affected communities when a substantial proportion of government revenue is committed to debt repayment.

“How can Nigeria adequately finance flood protection, resilient agriculture, healthcare, education, renewable energy and support for affected communities when such a significant share of public resources is committed to debt repayment?” ActionAid Nigeria asked.

Women and girls bear disproportionate burden
ActionAid said the consequences of climate shocks and reduced public spending are not evenly distributed.

The report described women and girls as “shock absorbers” of climate disasters and cuts to public services. Women may have to travel longer distances to access water, reduce their food intake when supplies become scarce and take on additional unpaid care responsibilities.

Girls, meanwhile, face increased risks of dropping out of school when household incomes decline.

Children and young people are also affected through weakened education and health systems, reduced economic opportunities and greater exposure to climate-related shocks, the organisation said.

The report also highlights a wider global financing imbalance, finding that the Global South is paying about 225 times more in debt repayments than it receives in grant-based climate finance.

ActionAid further warned that much of the climate finance available to developing countries is provided in the form of loans, potentially increasing the debt burden of countries already facing financial pressures.

ActionAid Nigeria called on the Federal Government to increase domestic financing for climate adaptation and resilience, including sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, flood prevention and locally led initiatives.

It also urged the government to take urgent steps to address Nigeria’s debt burden through a sustainable and transparent public debt framework.

The organisation said debt servicing should not crowd out spending on healthcare, education, social protection and climate resilience.

It further called for transparent management and public tracking of climate finance, with affected communities, women and young people given meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions concerning climate resources.

ActionAid also urged the government to make climate budgets gender-responsive and disability-inclusive, ensuring that major climate programmes address the needs of women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

The organisation called for increased investment in women- and youth-led green enterprises and employment, including opportunities in renewable energy, agroecology, recycling and sustainable agriculture.

Speaking on the issue, ActionAid Nigeria Country Director, Dr Andrew Mamedu, said climate justice must focus on the people directly affected by environmental and economic pressures.

“Climate justice must ultimately be about people, the farmer struggling to grow food, the fisher whose livelihood is disappearing, the girl whose education is threatened and the young person wondering what future they will inherit” Mamedu said.

He added that countries should not have to borrow their way out of a climate crisis.

“It is time to end unsustainable debt, deliver climate justice and fund our future,” he said.