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Nigeria Launches Groundbreaking Initiative to Integrate Peacebuilding into Climate Action

Published

8 months ago

September 6, 2025

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The Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, has unveiled the Inception Report on Mainstreaming Peacebuilding into Nigeria’s National Action Plan (NAP) on Climate Change—a landmark step aimed at embedding peace and security into the nation’s climate adaptation framework.

Speaking at the launch, the Honourable Minister of Environment, Hon. Balarabe Abass Lawal, described the process as “a sequential journey, not a one-off event,” stressing that climate governance must prioritize peacebuilding as a long-term strategy. He commended NAP Global, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the Federal Government, ministry staff, and consultants for supporting what he called a transformative project.

Joining virtually from Geneva, IISD Policy Advisor on Climate Change Adaptation, Katharina Schmidt, hailed the initiative as a “timely and strategic response” to the global challenge of climate-induced conflicts. She applauded Nigeria’s courage in “taking the bull by the horns” by recognizing the link between climate vulnerability and violent conflict.

The project team, led by Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, Director of Climate Change, alongside Deputy Director Johna D. Barde, National Coordinator Kayode Aboyeji, and Chief Scientific Officer Adebayo Adekoje, presented updates on Nigeria’s steady progress in advancing climate adaptation through strategic collaborations.

Lead consultant, Professor Elias Nankap Lamle of the University of Jos, with co-consultant Dr. Salamatu Abraham of Nasarawa State University, emphasized Nigeria’s “dual crisis of climate change and violent conflict.” Professor Lamle called for inclusive, conflict-sensitive policies that integrate women, youth, and community perspectives, aligning Nigeria’s approach with the Sustainable Development Goals while attracting international support.

The launch also highlighted findings from the National Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment under the theme “Integrating Conflict Sensitivity and Peace Building into Nigeria’s National Adaptation Plan Process.” The assessment detailed how desertification, flooding, resource scarcity, and migration continue to fuel conflicts, underscoring the need to link adaptation with peacebuilding.

Stakeholders from across the climate and development community described the report as visionary, applauding the Ministry of Environment, NAP Global, and IISD for pioneering a model that could reshape how nations address the nexus of climate change and conflict. By embedding peacebuilding into climate action, Nigeria is charting a path toward a more resilient, peaceful, and inclusive future.

Related Topics:Climate Action Peacebuilding

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Business

Lasaco Assurance’s ₦18.47bn Rights Issue Closes May 13

Published

3 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

Preport

BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—Lasaco Assurance Plc has announced that v will officially close on May 13, 2026, marking the end date for eligible shareholders to participate in the capital raising exercise.

The offer is part of the company’s strategy to strengthen its financial base, boost underwriting capacity, and support its expansion plans within Nigeria’s insurance sector.

The offer comprises 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each, priced at ₦2.00 per share, on the basis of five (5) new shares for every six (6) existing shares held. The Rights Issue is open to shareholders whose names appeared on the Company’s register as at the close of business on February 20, 2026.

The exercise is expected to raise approximately ₦18.47 billion, which will be strategically deployed to strengthen the Company’s capital base, enhance underwriting capacity, and support the expansion of its market presence within Nigeria’s competitive insurance landscape.

Meristem Capital Limited is acting as Lead Issuing House, while PAC Capital serves as Joint Issuing House on the transaction.

Commenting on the development, the Managing Director of Lasaco Assurance Plc, Ademoye Shobo, reaffirmed the Company’s commitment to maintaining a robust capital position to meet its obligations and deliver sustained value to policyholders and stakeholders.

This initiative aligns with broader efforts across the Nigerian insurance industry to meet evolving regulatory capital requirements, strengthen balance sheets, and position operators to underwrite larger and more complex risks across key sectors of the economy.

The post Lasaco Assurance’s ₦18.47bn Rights Issue Closes May 13 appeared first on Business Today NG.

News

AI research lab NeoCognition lands $40M seed to build agents that learn like humans

Published

50 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

Preport

Investors are aggressively courting AI researchers to build startups that can make AI more reliable and efficient.

Yu Su, an Ohio State professor leading an AI agent lab, said he initially resisted the pressure from VCs to commercialize his work. He finally took the leap last year and spun out his work into a startup when he saw that foundational model advances could make agents truly personalized.

NeoCognition, a startup Su describes as a research lab developing self-learning AI agents, has just emerged from stealth with $40 million in seed funding. The round was co-led by Cambium Capital and Walden Catalyst Ventures, with participation from Vista Equity Partners and angels, including Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan and Databricks co-founder Ion Stoica.

“Today’s agents are generalists,” Su (pictured left) told TechCrunch. “Every time you ask them to do a task, you take a leap of faith.”

According to Su, the issue lies in a lack of consistency. Current agents, whether from Claude Code, OpenClaw or Perplexity’s computer tools, successfully complete tasks as intended only about 50% of the time, he said.

Since agents are still so unreliable, they are not ready to be trusted, independent workers, Su told TechCrunch. NeoCognition intends to change that by developing an agent system that can self-learn to become an expert in any domain, similar to how humans learn.

Su argues that while human intelligence is broad, its real power is our ability to specialize. When we enter a new environment or profession, we can rapidly master its unique rules, relationships, and consequences.

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NeoCognition is building agents to mirror this exact approach.

“For humans, our continued learning process is essentially the process of building a world model for any profession, any environment,” Su said. “We believe for agents to become experts, they need to learn autonomously to build a model of any given micro world.”

Su views this capacity for rapid specialization as the critical missing link to getting AI to work reliably on its own.

While it is possible to train agents for autonomous tasks, they must be custom-engineered for a specific vertical. NeoCognition is different because it’s building agents that are generalists capable of self-learning and specializing in any domain.

NeoCognition intends to sell its agent systems primarily to enterprises, including established SaaS companies, which can use them to build agent-workers or to enhance existing product offerings.

Su highlighted that an investment from Vista Equity Partners is especially valuable for this reason. As one of the largest private equity firms in the software space, Vista can provide NeoCognition with direct access to a vast portfolio of companies looking to modernize their products with AI.

NeoCognition currently has about 15 employees, the majority of whom hold PhDs.

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