Nigeria faces frequent and severe flood events caused by heavy rainfall that are exacerbated by limited risk governance, inadequate drainage systems and environmental degradation. Flood events in 2022 saw more than 2.4 million people displaced, more than 700 lives lost, and over 910,000 hectares of farmland damaged. The median estimate of these damages is around $1.84 billion, based on a remote post-disaster damage estimation done by the World Bank.
To share knowledge and better prepare Nigeria for similar disasters, a two-day technical workshop focused on flood and drought risk management for climate resilience was held on October 8-9, 2024, in Abuja, with more than 70 government officials and subject matter experts in attendance. The objectives of the workshop were to discuss the status and vision for flood and drought risk management and provide inputs to strengthen the preliminary results of the World Bank’s EPIC Response Framework assessment, which identifies the roles of different government agencies in managing risks, highlighting gaps and opportunities. The EPIC stands for “enable, plan, invest, control, respond” and is an innovative governance approach developed by the World Bank to manage flood and drought risks. The EPIC framework aims to reduce the exposure and vulnerability of people and assets to hydro-climatic risks by integrating various elements of risk management into a cohesive system.
The World Bank’s cooperation with Nigeria follows the compilation of a Plan of Action for Preventing Flood Disasters by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation (FMWRS). The Plan buids on Nigeria's National Disaster Management Framework, which sets out a policy for disaster risk management (DRM), as well as other relevant sector policy and planning instruments.
During the two-day workshop, government representatives discussed legal and institutional frameworks for flood and drought risk management, horizontal and vertical collaborations, and challenges they are facing. International partners then updated attendees on activities in flood and drought risk management. Toshihiro Sonoda, World Bank, briefed the meeting on the preliminary EPIC Response Framework findings. The talk was followed by plenary and subgroup presentations and discussion. The event ended with remarks by Takuya Kitamura, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, and Emmanuel Chinedu Umolu, Water Resources Management Specialist and Task Team Leader, World Bank.
The workshop produced a common understanding of existing frameworks for flood and drought risk management, the identification of challenges and opportunities in key program areas, input on the preliminary results of the EPIC Response Framework assessment, and preliminary discussions on policy recommendations. To build on the workshop findings, an EPIC Response Framework assessment report and a policy note on flood and drought risk management will be produced to inform policy dialogues among the government of Nigeria, with the support of the World Bank. A dedicated EPIC working group among key stakeholders will be established to formulate an action plan.
The workshop was organized by the government of Nigeria. The National Council on Climate Change served as the secretariat and the World Bank task team provided support with technical expertise. The event was made possible with financial support from the Global Water Security & Sanitation Partnership (GWSP) and the Japan-World Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management in Developing Countries, which is financed by the government of Japan and supported by the World Bank Tokyo DRM Hub.
