World Bank trains Nigerian journalists on sustainability reporting

The World Bank has trained 17 journalists on natural capital accounting (NCA) and sustainability reporting to help Nigeria monitor climate degradation.

The training, which took place on Wednesday in Abuja, was aimed at equipping participants with the knowledge and tools needed to report effectively on the economic and policy aspects of natural capital in Nigeria.

Speaking during the training, Ahmed Abdullahi, an environmentalist representing the World Bank, said the initiative is part of a broader strategy to use solution journalism to drive environmental accountability and raise public awareness.

Abdullahi said NCA is a framework that measures a country’s natural resources to understand their worth in the environment.

He acknowledged the challenges in accessing relevant data, and noted that Nigeria’s NCA efforts had led to environmental restoration efforts, including forestry intervention planning.

“Between 2015 and 2020, Nigeria developed land cover maps and physical asset accounts to track transitions in land types,” Abdullahi said.

He noted that policy integration in key sectors, with stakeholder engagement, had begun to yield positive results.

“Institutions are already utilising NCA outputs in areas like watershed management, landscape planning, and climate-smart agriculture,” he added. 

“These efforts have been particularly impactful in states like Kaduna and Nasarawa.”

Yekeen Akinwale, Abuja bureau chief of TheCable, described solution journalism as an evidence-based approach that focuses on how communities respond to challenges.

Akinwale harped on the need for balanced narratives, noting that stories of successful community initiatives could attract partnerships, encourage replication, and help maintain journalistic integrity.