North-West  Pushes  Climate Crisis Into Investment Drive  As Desertification Intensifies 

 The Federal Government says the upcoming North-West Climate Summit scheduled for August 2026 is designed to turn the region’s worsening environmental crisis into a source of jobs, investment and economic survival.

The summit, driven by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-West), Abdullahi Yakasai, will focus on climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, water systems and youth-led green businesses across the region.

Speaking in Abuja, Yakasai said the North-West is already under pressure from desertification, drought and declining farm output, but insisted these challenges can still be converted into structured investment opportunities.

He said the summit will introduce a North-West Climate Fund to finance green projects, alongside a digital platform that will connect investors directly with climate-related ventures across the region.

According to him, the idea is not another policy talk shop but a practical investment platform that links government priorities with private capital and development finance.

The North-West Development Commission (NWDC) says the situation on the ground is already severe, with advancing desertification, shrinking farmland and rising youth unemployment worsening social and economic pressure across the region.

Managing Director of the commission, Shehu Ma’aji, said over seven million young people in the North-West are currently out of work, adding that environmental degradation is now directly linked to economic hardship and insecurity.

He disclosed that one of the key interventions is a programme to engage 5,000 youths in tree planting aimed at restoring degraded land while also creating income opportunities through economic trees.

Dr Mea Boykins, lead consultant to the summit, said the focus is to turn climate plans into bankable projects that can attract funding from both local and international investors.

Stakeholders say the real test will be implementation, not promises, especially in a region where climate stress is already reshaping farming, livelihoods and settlement patterns.