By Olukayode Babalola

The Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has trained farmers, researchers, policymakers and extension personnel on carbon finance to position them for opportunities in the emerging carbon economy.

The two-day capacity building workshop, funded by the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), began on Thursday in Keffi, Nasarawa State, with participants drawn from Nasarawa, Benue, Cross River and Kano states.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was organised by SAA under the GIZ-funded Strengthening Institutional Frameworks for Transformative Agricultural Systems in Nigeria (SIFTAS) project.

The initiative is designed to build awareness and technical capacity on carbon credits, carbon markets and agroforestry-based climate solutions, while promoting regenerative and climate-resilient agricultural practices across the country.

Speaking at the workshop, Dr Bidemi Ajibola, SIFTAS Project Manager, said that the initiative was aimed at exposing stakeholders to emerging opportunities in carbon finance and preparing them to participate in the growing carbon market ecosystem.

Ajibola said the workshop, with the theme, “Carbon Credits, Carbon Markets and Opportunities in Agroforestry Systems,” focused on carbon finance opportunities in cassava, potato and rice agroforestry systems.

“Nigeria is making significant progress towards establishing a national carbon market framework, creating new opportunities to attract investments into climate-smart agriculture and agroforestry.

“As part of the SIFTAS project, where we are promoting crop-specific agroforestry systems, we considered it important to expose our stakeholders and champions to opportunities available in carbon markets and carbon credit development,” he said.

He explained that similar workshops had earlier been held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on June 3 and 4, focusing on cassava agroforestry, and in Jos, Plateau State, on June 10 and 11, with emphasis on potato agroforestry, while the Keffi workshop centred on rice agroforestry systems.

Also speaking, Ms Rose Ritter, Technical Advisor with Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Policies project (AgSys), said Germany remained committed to supporting Nigeria and other countries in tackling climate change through emissions reduction and adaptation measures.

She disclosed that Germany provided 11.8 billion euros in international climate finance in 2024, with a significant proportion invested in agriculture and land use because of the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change.

Ritter added that through the ClimA Project, GIZ was supporting the Federal Government in establishing a national agricultural carbon registry to register, monitor and verify carbon projects across the country.

In his remarks, Mr Tanko Tunga, the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Agriculture, described the workshop as timely, considering the devastating effects of climate change on smallholder farmers, who account for about 80 per cent of Nigeria’s food production.

He said that the state government had taken deliberate steps to transform the agricultural sector under the Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy (NEDS).

Tunga reaffirmed the state’s readiness to partner organisations working to address the effects of climate change and commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the National Carbon Market Framework.

According to him, the framework will support Nigeria’s climate commitments while stimulating sustainable economic growth and green investment opportunities.

Also, Prof. Ibrahim Haruna of the Department of Agronomy, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, described agroforestry as one of the most effective strategies for addressing the impact of climate change on agriculture.

“The only way to survive is to cope with climate change, and one of the most viable solutions is agroforestry. I commend GIZ and Sasakawa for sponsoring this initiative,” he said.

NAN reports that the workshop featured technical presentations, policy dialogues, interactive learning sessions and practical exercises on agroforestry systems.

Other areas of focus are carbon sequestration pathways, carbon financing mechanisms, carbon credit generation and the development of bankable agroforestry carbon projects.

Stakeholders also provided technical inputs to strengthen the carbon markets and carbon credits component of the SIFTAS agroforestry training curriculum. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Isaac Ukpoju