The founder and Director of Surge Africa, Nasreen Alamin, says the organisation’s advocacy campaigns have contributed to the development of progressive climate and environmental policies in Nigeria.
Speaking on Surge Africa’s advocacy work and its influence on policy, Nasreen said several of the organisation’s campaigns had resulted in increased government action on climate change, environmental protection and green mobility.
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She cited the 2024 North West Commissioners’ Summit on Climate Change organised by Surge Africa, which she said culminated in the Kano Declaration on Climate and Environment.
According to her, the declaration subsequently inspired the current work of the Presidency through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement for the North West, including the establishment of the North West Climate Summit.
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She said the initiative had also encouraged other regional-focused climate and environmental interventions across the North West.
Nasreen also highlighted Surge Africa’s “Drive the Future” campaign, which she said generated reactions from public officials and contributed to discussions around electric vehicle transition and green mobility.
She noted that a Green Mobility Bill had subsequently been submitted for review, describing the development as a significant milestone for the organisation’s advocacy and policy engagement.
Nasreen pointed out that Surge Africa recognises climate change as a complex, multifaceted issue that affects the environment, livelihoods, energy, health and virtually every aspect of society.
She explained that the organisation therefore works with communities to simplify climate-related issues and provide information in a clear, accessible and digestible manner.
She hinted that Surge Africa’s approach includes training journalists, supporting non-profit organisations involved in community campaigns and translating its programmes into different languages to effectively reach diverse audiences.
According to her, the organisation also engages filmmakers, funds documentary and film projects, and supports fieldwork for journalists and storytellers to enable them to communicate climate and development issues more effectively.
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On the organisation’s achievements in policy, media and community resilience, Nasreen identified a Restoration Project as one of its major success stories.
She said the community-driven ecosystem restoration initiative had restored 36 hectares of degraded land in Gabosa Local Government Area of Kano State through afforestation.
The project, she explained, also incorporates agroforestry, capacity building for forest-dependent communities and sustained engagement with government institutions.
She said Surge Africa places strong emphasis on dialogue among government agencies, farmers’ associations and local communities in addressing environmental challenges.
According to her, the project combines environmental restoration with livelihood improvement and collaborative governance, making it one of the organisation’s most progressive interventions.
Nasreen further described the Kano Declaration on Climate and Environment as another significant achievement, noting that Surge Africa was among the first organisations to bring governments in the North West together around a common agenda on climate change, environment and energy.
She said the declaration identified six key areas of climate action that states in North West Nigeria should prioritise.
Nasreen said despite Nigeria’s progress through initiatives such as the Climate Change Act and sovereign green financing, significant gaps remain in integrating climate action into broader development planning, particularly at the sub-national level.
She warned against treating climate change solely as an environmental issue, arguing that it is a cross-cutting development challenge with implications for land use, water security, public health, gender equality, livelihoods and economic resilience.
She stressed that sustainable and scalable climate action must be locally owned, responsive to community needs and implemented through a bottom-up approach.
According to her, policies driven predominantly from the federal level often struggle to translate into meaningful impact at the grassroots.
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She therefore called for stronger sub-national ownership and greater involvement of communities in designing and implementing climate interventions.