Eco-learn Nigeria Seeks Strengthened Investment in Climate Education

Eco-learn Nigeria has called for increased investment in climate education, describing it as key infrastructure for sustainable economic growth and climate resilience.

This is just as the organisation announced plans to double the reach of its climate literacy programme by 2027.

The organisation revealed it has trained 50 teachers across Lagos State who have, in turn, reached more than 2,000 students through classroom-based climate initiatives and hope to reach more in the next two years.

Eco-learn in a statement signed by its Team Lead, Kayode Ogunleye warned the nation faces compounding economic exposure from coastal erosion, food insecurity, energy poverty, and extreme weather events.

To mitigate these risks, he emphasized that capital allocations for roads, dams, energy projects, and flood-control infrastructure must be paired with structured climate education to build systemic, long-term resilience.

“Climate education is not merely an awareness exercise or a ‘soft’ social intervention. It is infrastructure in the truest sense: a long-term enabling system that underpins governance, innovation, behavioral change, policy implementation, and sustainable economic growth,” the statement said.

The organisation further argued that climate knowledge gaps continue to undermine climate action.

It cited key systemic vulnerabilities, including a limited understanding of climate risks, widespread misinformation, weak integration of climate factors into corporate strategy, and public resistance to energy transition policies.

Ogunleye said the organisation’s programmes focus on teacher capacity building, student engagement and community-led sustainability projects aimed at integrating climate literacy into classrooms while encouraging practical environmental action.

He explained that Eco- learn approach is anchored on a ‘Teacher-as-a-Climate-Multiplier’  framework, which equips educators with climate knowledge alongside communication, leadership, collaboration enabling them to sustain climate education beyond formal training.

The organisation also disclosed that it is developing a Learning Management System (LMS)-driven platform to make climate education more accessible and practical for teachers, students and communities across Nigeria.

According to the statement, achievements so far have been driven by flagship teacher-training programmes across Lagos’ six educational districts, the Lagos Lagoon Project implemented in Ejirin, Saga and Oriba communities in Epe with support from GIZ, as well as youth-focused climate engagement initiatives.