Celebrating Kano’s Impressive Growth in Nigeria’s Climate Governance Ranking

Dahir M. Hashim

On Tuesday, 14 October 2025, at a high-level event in Abuja, the results of the 2025 Subnational Climate Governance Performance Rating and Ranking were unveiled.

This landmark assessment — conceived by the Department of Climate Change, the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), PACE of the UK FCDO and other partners — remains Nigeria’s first comprehensive attempt to rate climate action across all 36 states. Designed to spur healthy competition, inspire peer learning and motivate action, the ranking has become a powerful tool for strengthening climate governance nationwide.

One of the most striking outcomes of the 2025 edition was the dramatic and unprecedented rise of Kano State from 35th position in 2024 to 4th position in 2025. This remarkable leap did not go unnoticed. It drew commendations across the climate community, national media and international partners. But as impressive as this milestone is, it is important to say clearly that this success was neither accidental nor cosmetic. It was the product of deliberate, strategic and courageous efforts to reform, strengthen and modernise climate governance in our State.

And at the heart of that transformation was the motivation and direction provided by the ranking exercise itself. The 2024 results made it unambiguously clear where Kano stood, the gaps we had to confront and the areas where improvement was urgent. We embraced the ranking not as a judgement but as an opportunity — a mirror that showed us where we needed to go and how quickly we needed to act.

Under the visionary leadership of His Excellency Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, we placed climate governance at the centre of our development priorities. The Governor’s clear directive was that Kano would no longer lag behind, and that environmental stewardship must translate into real improvements in the lives of our people.

In the past year, therefore, we strengthened institutions and deepened environmental governance by implementing the Kano State Climate Change Policy, expanding renewable energy deployment, greening our urban spaces through the Urban Renewal Project and accelerating afforestation and erosion control across the state. Guided by the ranking template, every step we took was structured, intentional and measured.

But what truly propelled our rise was not policy on paper — it was implementation, and implementation that produced results in real communities. Our strategy was inclusive and bottom-up, ensuring that every intervention addressed real needs and delivered tangible benefits.

In early 2024, we signalled our commitment by championing the Northwest Climate Resilience Declaration, a regional compact with a seven-point agenda for coordinated action across the Northwest. This was a turning point — a shift from climate rhetoric to climate delivery.

Through the Kano State Afforestation Project (KNAP), we operationalised that commitment. In 2025 alone, 5.5 million seedlings were distributed across all 44 LGAs. This strategic tree planting project is reducing dust storms, restoring degraded lands and strengthening carbon sinks. Environmental experts estimate that every million mature trees can sequester up to 24,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. Kano’s 2025 effort therefore has the potential to lock away emissions equivalent to several thousand vehicles each year, while creating natural windbreaks and improving the microclimate in our Sahel-facing communities.

Under the ACReSAL project, we translated climate intent into improved water security. We delivered 10 solar-powered boreholes, complete with mini-dams, irrigation channels and safe-water zones. These facilities are already improving access to water for thousands of households and farmers, reducing the pressures of erratic rainfall and cutting time spent — particularly by women and children — in search of water. Better water access means higher crop yields, reduced waterborne diseases and improved household wellbeing.

To protect lives and critical infrastructure, we awarded an ₦8.5 billion contract for the large-scale gully-erosion control project along the Bulbula–Gayawa corridor — one of the most climate-vulnerable urban belts in Kano. This intervention is preventing property loss, reducing flooding and stabilising a corridor that supports major transport, commerce and residential communities. Each rainy season, this single project now protects assets worth billions of naira and secures the livelihoods of an estimated 200,000 residents.

We also prioritised improvements in urban climate infrastructure. The deployment of wireless solar-powered traffic lights backed by a ₦3.4 billion investment is not only reducing emissions and electricity costs but improving traffic safety and easing congestion. Likewise, the ₦1.46 billion upgrade to facilities at the Ministry of Power & Renewable Energy strengthened our institutional ability to sustain a transition to cleaner energy.

Our partnership with UNICEF and the UK Government enabled us to deliver 55 climate-resilient schools and primary healthcare centres, fitted with solar systems, better ventilation and flood-resistant designs. These facilities ensure learning continues during heatwaves and that essential healthcare remains available during extreme weather events. The impact on children, pregnant women and vulnerable groups cannot be overstated.

In waste management, we strengthened REMASAB through the procurement of 10 refuse trucks and 2 payloaders, and launched a new waste-handling initiative across public transport routes. Cleaner urban environments are already reducing disease vectors and improving air quality — a major concern in a densely populated state like ours.

We also embraced digital transformation by launching an online climate action and green investment platform. With real-time air and water quality data, hazard reporting and pathways for civic participation, this platform has improved transparency and positioned Kano as one of the few Nigerian states using digital tools to strengthen environmental governance.

All of these efforts were recognised in our performance across each thematic criterion of the subnational ranking. From institutional arrangements to policy status, budgeting, implementation, and online visibility, our scores rose sharply — reflecting real reforms rather than box-ticking.

Our jump from 45 points in 2024 to 280 points in 2025 was the result of work that touched every LGA, every sector and every community. And most importantly, the improvements we made are already delivering social, economic and environmental benefits: better water access, improved agricultural prospects, reduced environmental hazards, stronger infrastructure and healthier living conditions for our people.

While we celebrate this achievement, we understand that climate leadership is a journey, not a destination. Guided by the ranking framework and motivated by the wellbeing of our citizens, we will continue to strengthen climate governance, deepen implementation and expand the impact of our interventions.

Also, this recognition is a testament to the collective efforts of our dedicated teams, local governments, community leaders, civil society, and partners (especially the UK-FCDO Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE) who have worked with us to strengthen climate action in Kano.

It is not yet uhuru, but we celebrate this milestone — and we commit to doing even more for the people of Kano State.

Dr. Dahir M. Hashim is the Commissioner, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Kano State