A Youth-Led Summit for Nigeria’s Climate Future
Young climate negotiators from Nigeria’s South-East are set to gather in Abia State for the maiden South-East NDC Climate Summit 1.0 (SEYNDC 2026), a two-day event aimed at moving the region’s youth from climate awareness to climate action. The summit will run from October 28 to 29, 2026, at the Ogbonnaya Onu Abia State Polytechnic.
Convened by the Nigerian Youth Climate Negotiators Network (NYCNN) South-East, led by Amb. Queen Amazu, in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria, the summit is themed “From Awareness to Action: Empowering South-East Youth for Climate Governance, Green Economy and a Resilient Future.”
Who Can Attend
The summit is open to young people aged 15 to 35 from the five South-East states — Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. According to the organisers, both registration and participation are free, and the event is designed for students, young professionals, entrepreneurs, climate advocates and emerging leaders.
Organisers say the gathering will serve as a regional platform where young people can engage directly with government officials, development partners, private-sector organisations, civil society groups and other stakeholders.
From Awareness to Action
The central objective is to build young people’s capacity for climate governance, green economy pathways and community resilience — helping them move beyond simply understanding climate change to identifying where they can participate, build solutions, develop careers and contribute to climate governance.
The summit is aligned with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Organisers argue that meaningful youth participation is essential to translating national climate commitments into action at state, institutional and community levels. According to Nigeria’s NDC 3.0 document, the country’s climate measures cover the period 2026 to 2035, with an economy-wide target of cutting emissions by 32.2 per cent by 2035 from 2018 levels, on the path to net zero by 2060.
Why the South-East
The choice of venue reflects the region’s vulnerability. According to the summit’s announcement, gully erosion is swallowing communities in Anambra and Abia, annual flooding is displacing families in Ebonyi and Imo, and rising heat is threatening farming in Enugu — yet climate action remains largely absent from most South-East state budgets and policies.
Organisers are calling on sponsors and partners — government, development partners, NGOs, the private sector and foundations — to support the event, and say they will press South-East governors to adopt the summit’s resolutions, fund climate desks, invest in erosion control and create real green jobs for young people.
FAKTA
- Event: South-East NDC Climate Summit 1.0 (SEYNDC 2026) — maiden edition
- Dates: October 28–29, 2026
- Venue: Ogbonnaya Onu Abia State Polytechnic, Abia State, Nigeria
- Theme: “From Awareness to Action: Empowering South-East Youth for Climate Governance, Green Economy and a Resilient Future”
- Convened by: Nigerian Youth Climate Negotiators Network (NYCNN) South-East, led by Amb. Queen Amazu, with ActionAid Nigeria
- Who can attend: Youth aged 15–35 from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo — registration and participation are free
A Model Worth Watching
Whether the summit delivers on its ambition will depend on follow-through: funding commitments, functioning state climate desks and jobs for the youth who show up. But as a model, a youth-led, NDC-aligned regional summit that treats young people as negotiators rather than spectators is exactly the kind of climate event the run-up to COP31 needs more of.
For more of Watan News’ climate coverage, visit the Climate section on watannews.dk.
