The SEKI Kulture Initiative has launched the SEKI Kulture Festival for Wetlands to mark United Nations International Wetlands Day, unveiling a culture-led programme aimed at empowering 4.5 million women and nine million youth across the Niger Delta while strengthening wetlands conservation and sustainable development.
Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Yibo Koko, CEO of the SEKI Kulture Festival and Marketplace Initiative, said the programme is designed to move beyond technical conservation approaches by placing people and culture at the centre of environmental protection.
“Wetlands are not just ecological systems — they are cultural systems. When women and youth are empowered to protect their culture, they become the strongest defenders of the environment,” he said.
Koko added that the festival demonstrates how climate action can be community-driven and economically inclusive.
“Through SEKI Kulture, we are turning wetlands conservation into livelihoods, jobs and sustainable development, using heritage, creativity and community enterprise as tools for long-term impact,” he noted.
Observed globally on February 2, International Wetlands Day highlights the role of wetlands in biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, food systems and livelihoods.
The Niger Delta, home to Africa’s largest mangrove ecosystem, remains one of the world’s most culturally rich wetland regions, where rivers, creeks and mangroves shape livelihoods, identity and tradition.
Across the nine Niger Delta states, the SEKI Kulture Initiative is activating 45+ ethnic communities, 450+ heritage and eco-cultural festivals, and 100+ wetland and riverine heritage zones linked to eco-tourism and cultural activation.
These efforts underpin a wetlands-based culture economy estimated at $6 billion, spanning tourism, festivals, crafts, gastronomy and digital heritage content.
Women are at the centre of the empowerment strategy, with 4.5 million women identified as custodians of fishing economies, food processing, crafts, local markets, eco-tourism and mangrove-based livelihoods.
The initiative supports women through cultural enterprise, storytelling and climate-smart income opportunities that strengthen food security and household resilience.
The programme is also engaging nine million youth through music, film, photography, fashion, digital storytelling, eco-design and green tourism pathways, aligning youth creativity with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
By linking wetlands conservation with SDGs 5, 8, 11, 13, 14 and 15, the SEKI Kulture Festival positions empowerment as a core climate strategy, helping to reposition the Niger Delta as a region where culture, conservation and inclusive growth reinforce one another.
