Carbon Market Initiative: AIDFF empowers, trains 100 youths in Adamawa.

African International Documentary Festival Foundation (AFIDFF), a non- governmental organisation (NGO), has trained 100 youths in carbon market initiative.

The Director-General of AFIDFF, Mrs Malame Mangzha, who declared the event open on Tuesday in Sukur Landscape Community, Adamawa, said the training would foster inclusivity.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training involved 70 youths from the local community and 30 UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) for 2025.

The training tagged: “Sukur Heritage, Carbon Market Initiative; Empowering Communities, Balancing the Carbon”, aimed to educate participants on sustainable development, cultural heritage preservation and environmental education.

Mangzha said that the initiative was in partnership with the North-East Development Commission (NEDC).

Other partners include the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Nigeria Tourism Development Agency, Nigerian Red Cross, among others.

Mangzha said that the initiative seeks to provide an eco-friendly livelihood for members of the community, improve on responsible tourism, and community leadership aligned with the UN SDGs.

“The initiative seeks to promote environmental stewardship through climate education, tree planting, and awareness of carbon market opportunities for sustainable income and conservation.

“The training will empower youths with practical skills in sustainable livelihoods, cultural heritage preservation, and environmental protection.

“It is expected to strengthen community participation in conserving the Sukur Landscape and inspire local initiatives in tree planting, waste management, and climate action through the emerging community carbon market,” she said.

Mangzha said that volunteers’ participation on hands-on activities such as maintenance of stone walls and mountain trails, aims to preserve Sukur’s unique cultural landscape.

Speaking on carbon credit and its market, Dr Christopher Nwabuike, a Liason Officer with the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), described carbon credit as a means of reward for removing emissions from the atmosphere.

“It is a reward for resilience, and for adopting climate complaint practices.

“That is why we want to build the capacity of the Sukur Community, to understand the green economy; to improve their livelihood by earning carbon credit when they adopt to some climate friendly activities that reduce air pollution.

He said that a cooperative platform had already been registered for the community in preparation for their earnings, which he added, would empower the youths to better their livelihood.

Nwabuike explained that some of the ways to earn the carbon credit was to encourage farmers in the community to farm smart.

“We will introduce them to agro-forestry, carbon sequestration in the soil and basically, all they need to know about climate smart agriculture,” he said.

He noted that behavioural change, community members attitude towards farming, which includes planting more trees and adopting more carbon to the soil, validates earning carbon credit.

This, he said, would include no bush burning or burning of straws instead, put back the straws into the soil and have the carbon deposited there.

“After a period of time, validations would be made and the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere will be quantified.

NAN reports that the training was part of the 2025 UNESCO WHV Initiative, convened by AFIDFF, with the theme, “Sukur’s Legacy; Empowering Communities through Climate Action and Sustainability.”

“Once that is done, you will be issued with a carbon credit certificate which will be taken into the voluntary market where a formation was willing to pay people for reducing emissions in the atmosphere.”

He added that the initiative was the first in the country and chose Sukur Community because studies had shown that 60 per cent of the community’s trees have eroded and degradation eaten deep.

The effect, the expert said, had reduced agricultural production in the area by 40 per cent and, therefore, was in due need of restoration.

The programme tends to strengthen knowledge and skills in traditional crafts, architecture, and oral heritage to sustain Sukur’s cultural identity and World Heritage value.