Imo State Technical Committee on Climate Change met on January 21, in Owerri, to begin the policy drafting phase of the Committee’s mandate. The meeting, organized by Spaces for Change (S4C) in collaboration with Imo State Ministry of Environment and Sanitation, with support from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and Ford Foundation, marked the beginning of a collaborative effort to formulate a policy direction for state institutions, corporations, mechanisms, communities and civil society actors to prevent, reduce or adapt to the risks of climate change in the state.
The General Technical Committee is the governing body of the Imo State Technical Committee on Climate Change. The General Technical Committee delegated the drafting of the state’s climate policy to the Sub-Committee on Climate Change Policy. Accordingly, participants at the drafting session comprised all eight members of the Sub-Committee on Climate Change Policy drawn from Imo Ministry of Environment and Sanitation, Imo Ministry of Power and Electrification, Imo State House of Assembly, as well as representatives of the academia, women groups and civil society organizations. Considering the diversity of expertise in the Committee, the drafting session featured robust discussions and negotiations around provisions relating to agency powers, climate finance, mitigation actions, enforcement mechanisms and alignment with national net-zero targets and other long-term visions.
The drafting session benefitted from lessons and ideas gathered from the December 2024 peer-learning workshop that united Imo and Enugu State counterpart Committee on Climate Change. Together, Committee members reviewed an array of national climate policies and energy transition plans to identify provisions relevant to realizing the national climate targets as well as the addressing state’s unique environmental challenges. Opportunities for carbon emission reduction abound in the state leveraging the abundance of renewable energy resources such as solar, natural gas, big lakes, biomass, and winds. The Committee also deliberated on how to ensure the new policy provides clear direction for harnessing these resources to unlock Imo’s green energy potentials.
With thoughtful deliberation and collaborative effort, Committee members refined the provisions, added local perspectives, and drafted fresh chapters and sections. At the end of the first drafting session, the Imo State Technical Committee on Climate Change emerged a with draft policy framework that will be subjected to extensive review by a variety of experts and stakeholders. The document reflected a harmonious blend of national best practices and state-specific considerations, setting the stage for effective climate action in Imo State.
