Journalists in Kano State have inaugurated the Kano Climate Change Journalists’ Network (KCCJN) to strengthen climate reporting and promote accurate, evidence-based and solutions-driven journalism on environmental issues.
Speaking during the inauguration, the Kano State Director of Climate Change, Dr. Umar Sale Anka, who serves as the Grand Patron of the network, described the initiative as timely, noting that it would complement government efforts to address the growing impacts of climate change through effective public engagement.
Anka said quality climate reporting is essential for raising public awareness, shaping policy debates, promoting accountability and encouraging communities to adopt sustainable environmental practices.
According to him, the media occupies a strategic position in the global response to climate change by amplifying the voices of vulnerable communities and drawing attention to critical issues such as climate adaptation, resilience, climate finance and the implementation of commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
He urged journalists to continuously build their capacity to report climate issues from governance, political and policy perspectives, stressing that informed reporting is vital for evidence-based decision-making and effective climate action.
Anka also commended the founders of the Kano Climate Change Journalists’ Network for establishing a platform dedicated to environmental journalism and pledged the Kano State Government’s support towards achieving its objectives.
Also speaking, climate change specialist Dr. Hadiza Shettima, an adviser to the network, called on journalists to give greater attention to the relationship between climate change and food security, describing it as one of the world’s most pressing development challenges.
She observed that Africa remains among the regions most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, particularly in the agricultural sector, and urged the media to increase public awareness of climate-smart agriculture, resilient seed systems and other sustainable solutions capable of improving food security.
The newly inaugurated executive of the network comprises Lukman Abdulmalik as Chairperson and Editor-in-Chief, Zulaiha Danjuma as Editor, Hannatu Suleiman Abba as Programmes Manager, Abdulwahab Said Ahmad as Publicity Officer, Muhammad Dahiru Lawal as Research Assistant and Khadija Yahaya as Secretary.
Other members of the network include Salisu Hamisu Aliyu, Dalal Salisu Musa, Jamila Adam Seyoji, Aisha Shehu Kabara, Hidaya Ahmad and Maryam Farouk.
The network is expected to foster stronger collaboration among journalists, policymakers, researchers and development partners while advancing credible, evidence-based reporting on climate change and environmental sustainability across Kano State.
The establishment of the KCCJN is an outcome of the HumanAngle–SCOJA Climate Reporting Fellowship, conducted between November 2025 and April 2026, which was designed to strengthen climate change journalism and improve the quality of environmental reporting in Nigeria.