WHO Urges Nigeria to Strengthen Health Systems in Response to Climate Change
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on Nigerian lawmakers to take bold legislative steps to build climate-resilient and sustainably financed health systems. The organization warned that climate change is already endangering lives and undermining national development, urging immediate action to address the growing crisis.
Delivering a keynote address at the High-Level Legislative Roundtable on Climate, Environment and Sustainable Health held in Abuja, WHO’s Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Pavel Ursu, emphasized that climate change is not a distant threat but a present reality. He stated, “It is already reshaping the health and well-being of Nigerians, straining our hospitals, and threatening the progress we have made toward health equity.”
Dr. Ursu cited the 2024 National Climate Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment, conducted by WHO in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. According to the report, up to 21 percent of Nigeria’s total disease burden could be attributed to climate change if urgent adaptation measures are not taken. He stressed that behind this statistic are real people—mothers, children, and health workers who bear the brunt of every heatwave, flood, and outbreak.
Ursu told the gathering of legislators, policymakers, and development partners that the time to act is now, highlighting that lawmakers hold the keys to transforming Nigeria’s climate-health ambitions into tangible outcomes. He outlined three critical roles for lawmakers: policy stewardship, budgetary oversight, and accountability mechanisms. He urged them to enact and fund climate-smart health policies, ensure renewable energy for health infrastructure, and support research and innovation.
“We must legislate for sustainability today to finance the future of health,” he said.
Commitments and Initiatives
Highlighting Nigeria’s commitments at the World Health Assembly (WHA) and COP28, where health was brought to the center of global climate negotiations, Dr. Ursu stressed the need to move from pledges to practical implementation as the country prepares for COP30. He called for empowering Climate Change Units in State Ministries of Health, strengthening One Health and emergency preparedness frameworks, and ensuring that national climate commitments are fully implemented and monitored.
Reaffirming WHO’s support to Nigeria, Dr. Ursu noted that the organization has been a trusted partner for over seven decades and remains committed to advancing climate-health resilience. Since 2015, WHO has supported the establishment of climate change desk offices in all 36 states and the FCT, trained more than 2,200 health officers, and helped develop the National Climate Change and Health Profile.
He highlighted the HealthCREST Initiative, which piloted renewable energy systems in primary healthcare centers in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States. Each solar system now generates 126.2 kWh of clean power daily, replacing about 50 liters of petrol and cutting over 42,000 kilograms of CO₂ emissions annually. These are proofs of concept showing that sustainable energy and resilient health systems can and must coexist.
Call for Unified National Action
Calling for unified national action, Dr. Ursu said the roundtable marked “the beginning of a movement that connects power to purpose, and legislation to life-saving action.” He urged government and private stakeholders to prioritize sustainable financing through trust funds and green bonds, multi-sectoral collaboration across ministries, and local ownership of climate adaptation strategies.
“Let us work together so that no health worker must perform surgery by candlelight, no child is denied care because of a power outage, and no community is left unprotected against the health impacts of a changing climate,” he said.
Ursu commended the National Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Nigerian Environmental Summit Group (NESUG) for convening the event, saying, “Together, let us power health sustainably, legislate boldly, and act decisively — for the health of every Nigerian, for generations to come.”
A Pivotal Moment for Sustainability
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Environmental Summit Group (NESUG), Chemist Rita Michael-Ojo, described the roundtable as “a pivotal moment for Nigeria to reimagine sustainability.” She emphasized that Nigeria stands at the crossroads of energy, environment, and health—the three pillars upon which the country’s future rests. Without clean and reliable energy, hospitals cannot save lives, and without a healthy environment, the economy cannot thrive.
Michael-Ojo revealed that Nigeria loses over $100 billion annually to climate-related impacts but noted that within these challenges lie extraordinary opportunities. “If we can reimagine our approach to sustainability—if we can see energy, health, and environment as interconnected systems—we can unlock a new era of prosperity for Nigeria,” she said.
She also announced that the Nigeria Environmental Summit (NESt 2026) will take place on March 25–26, 2026, at the Abuja Continental Hotel. NESt 2026 will unite over 1,000 leaders to unlock Nigeria’s £20 billion green economy potential, featuring investor deal rooms and over 100 youth-led green projects ready for investment.
Michael-Ojo applauded WHO, the Federal Ministry of Health, and other partners, describing NESUG as “a growing sustainability consortium now housing over 650,000 experts and 12,000 institutions.” She concluded by urging collective action to build an environmentally secure, energy-efficient, and health-resilient Nigeria—one that serves as a model for Africa and the world.