NSE, AGESI Partner to Advance Climate-Resilient Engineering in Nigeria

Dike Onwuamaze

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ibeju-Lekki Branch, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Africa Green Economy and Sustainability Institute (AGESI) to strengthen climate-resilient engineering, infrastructure development and sustainability leadership in Nigeria.

The partnership, announced in Lagos on October 14, 2026, establishes a framework for training engineers, planners, regulators and infrastructure operators to address flooding, climate-related risks, land-use changes, infrastructure vulnerability and loss and damage associated with climate impacts.

The collaboration is anchored in the Catchment Resilience Engineering Certification (CREC) programme, powered by FIPRE which was presented to the NSE Ibeju-Lekki Branch recently and has now been adopted as a professional development pathway for engineers in Lagos State and across Nigeria.

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, the Chairman of NSE Ibeju-Lekki Branch, Engr. Olufemi Dare, said the partnership would provide Nigerian engineers with internationally aligned tools and evidence-based frameworks to address emerging infrastructure and environmental challenges.

“With this signing, we are committing to a new era of engineering excellence. This partnership gives Nigerian engineers the globally aligned tools and evidence frameworks needed to address flooding, climate stress, loss and damage, and infrastructure fragility,” he said.

Dare added that the collaboration would strengthen engineers’ capacity to protect communities and support Nigeria’s transition towards climate-resilient engineering practices.

Under the agreement, both organisations will collaborate on professional training, research, infrastructure adaptation planning and the development of engineering tools to improve resilience at the catchment level.

The planned initiatives include the delivery of CREC masterclasses and modular professional development programmes, the development of resilience maps and adaptation plans, and training in FIPRE, Source-Pathway-Receptor engineering and climate-risk governance.

The partnership will also promote coordination among relevant agencies on climate-risk management and loss and damage assessment, alongside research, innovation and participation in international knowledge-sharing platforms.

Other proposed activities include community adaptation kits, resilience clinics and public-safety tools designed to strengthen local preparedness for climate-related hazards.

The MoU also provides for the introduction of certification programmes in Catchment Resilience Engineering, FIPRE competency, climate-risk governance and adaptation, and community-level resilience and equity.

According to the organisations, the programmes are expected to equip engineers and other technical professionals with skills in climate-resilient infrastructure design, environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations, loss and damage assessment, and infrastructure asset management.

The agreement aligns the partnership’s activities with several international sustainability, climate-risk and engineering frameworks, including the International Sustainability Standards Board’s IFRS S1 and S2 standards, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures framework, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the Global Reporting Initiative standards, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board metrics, the SDG Impact Standard and ISO 53001, as referenced by the organisations.

The collaboration is intended to strengthen the integration of sustainability considerations into engineering practice and infrastructure planning while supporting the adoption of internationally recognised approaches to climate-risk management.

The Executive Director of AGESI, Dr. Eugene Itua, said the agreement reflected a commitment to advancing Africa’s sustainability transition through evidence-based approaches and professional capacity development.

“The endorsement of this MoU signals a strong commitment to Africa’s sustainability transition. By equipping engineers, planners, and communities with evidence-based tools, we are building resilience at scale,” he said.

Itua described the CREC programme as more than a training initiative, saying it could serve as a model for climate-resilient engineering and loss and damage preparedness across the continent.

The NSE Ibeju-Lekki Branch is committed to promoting engineering excellence, public safety and sustainable infrastructure development, while AGESI focuses on sustainability education, climate-risk governance and the transition to a green economy across Africa.

The agreement is expected to provide a platform for both organisations to deepen professional collaboration and promote engineering solutions that address climate risks and infrastructure vulnerabilities in Nigeria.