ActionAid: Debt repayments threaten Nigeria’s climate funding

By Jane Okeke

ActionAid Nigeria says rising debt repayments are putting pressure on the country’s ability to finance climate action, with women, girls and vulnerable communities bearing a disproportionate share of the impact.

The organisation raised the concern following the release of its international 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, climate-vulnerable countries are spending nearly 25 times more on debt repayments than on climate action, while 93-point-five per cent are either in debt crisis or at significant risk of debt distress.

ActionAid Nigeria said Nigeria faces similar pressures, with debt repayments projected to consume more than half of government revenue in 2026, potentially limiting resources for climate resilience and essential public services.

The organisation said communities are already experiencing the consequences through environmental degradation, damaged livelihoods and food insecurity, citing the experience of a Niger Delta farmer, Finegirl, whose community has been affected by oil pollution and the loss of farming and fishing resources.

It said women and girls are particularly exposed to the effects of climate shocks and reduced public services, including increased unpaid care work, longer journeys to access water, food insecurity and disruptions to girls’ education.

ActionAid also 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, and called for greater investment in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and flood prevention.

The organisation urged the Federal Government to adopt a sustainable and transparent public debt framework, while protecting spending on healthcare, education, social protection and climate resilience, and ensuring climate funds are properly tracked and reach affected communities, women, young people and persons with disabilities.

ActionAid Nigeria Country Director, Dr Andrew Mamedu, said climate justice must focus on people directly affected by environmental and economic pressures, including farmers, fishers, girls and young people. He called for an end to unsustainable debt and increased financing for climate action.

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