Environmental and media experts have called on Nigerian journalists to strengthen investigative reporting on climate-related disasters, government interventions and emerging technologies aimed at improving climate resilience.
The call was made in Abuja during the 2026 UK Media Excellence for Emerging Technologies (UK MEET) Fellowship, where participants examined climate change, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and sustainable development.
The UK MEET Fellowship is delivered in partnership with Imperial College London through Imperial Global Ghana, UK in Nigeria and the British High Commission in Accra, with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Lolade Awogbade, Green Growth Adviser at the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), urged journalists to move beyond reporting environmental disasters to assessing the effectiveness of technological innovations and climate interventions.
Awogbade said journalists should investigate how climate solutions progress from development and pilot stages to implementation, adoption and expansion, while examining their impact on communities.
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“When we talk about scale, we must also ask whether there is an impact. Look beyond the big numbers and headlines and ask: What does this mean?” she said.
She cited the World Bank-supported $750 million Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) project, implemented through Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency, as an initiative requiring sustained media scrutiny.
Climate Accountability, scrutiny
Folakemi Aletan, UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) Officer at the British High Commission, called for greater scrutiny of climate programmes, particularly their financing, implementation and long-term sustainability.
Aletan stressed that journalists should establish whether interventions address community needs, benefit intended populations and remain sustainable beyond their initial funding periods.
She emphasised the importance of sustained investigative reporting in ensuring accountability and encouraging improvements in disaster management.
