COMMEMORATING the World Education Day, Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has canvassed education as an indispensable tool to navigate and mitigate the complexities of climate change.
The bank made the call in Abuja during a programme with the theme, ‘The Impact of Equation: Educational Resilience in the Face of Climate Change’, in collaboration with Womenovate, a female-focused online learning platform globally for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Sustainability Specialist, DBN, Lolade Awogbade, emphasised education as essential in helping to solve the challenges of climate change, as it provides the much-needed platform for creating awareness among stakeholders.
According to her, education is the foundation needed in Nigeria to ensure sustainable development, as well as provide the awareness needed.
“So, once we have the right education, we teach our children the ramifications of certain actions or teach them to understand why certain things are happening in a certain way. We can then innovate as a direct response to the challenges we face in saving our future generations,” she said.
Awogbade expressed the bank’s eagerness, in its role as a climate change advocate in Nigeria, to actively engage in such initiatives. She emphasised that the institution, being a development finance entity, is committed to more than just profit, but in discussions focused on addressing crucial change concerns.
The bank, while affirming its commitment to tackling the climate crisis in the country, through the promotion of Green Financing to Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), noted that it remained at the forefront in driving sustainable investment in Nigeria.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer, Womenovate, Motunrayo Opayinka, said in a world where the effects of climate change were increasingly undeniable, the role of education in fostering resilience and sustainability had never been more critical.
According to her, the impact of environmental shifts is felt across the globe, affecting communities, ecosystems, and most importantly, the education sector.
“The impact equation we are exploring today is multi-faceted. It encompasses not only how climate change affects educational systems worldwide, but also how education can empower individuals and communities to mitigate and adapt to these challenges.”
On his part, the National Project Officer (Education for Health and Well-being), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Oladeji Adeyemi disclosed that education is a tool for achieving lasting solution. He, however, said there is a lot of fear in the country due to insecurity, saying that it has created psychological trauma for many people.
In his words: “Communities have become divided and fractured, creating a threat to democracy, which undermines inclusivity and fundamental rights.”
