COP17: Cross River Takes Erosion, Flood Crisis To Global Investors
By JULIET EKANEM
Cross River Takes Environmental Crisis to Global Stage
THE Cross River State Government is using the ongoing 17th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, COP17, in Mongolia to seek international investment and development partnerships for its growing environmental challenges.
State delegates attending the conference said they had used meetings and engagements with international stakeholders to draw attention to the worsening impact of land degradation, erosion, flooding and other ecological problems across Cross River.
The delegation includes Martins Achadu, Chairman of the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Education and Vice Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Matters, and Catherine Ubi, Clerk of the State House of Assembly.
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference in Ulaanbaatar, Achadu said Cross River’s participation was intended to move beyond merely presenting the state’s environmental problems and towards attracting practical support for restoration and long-term resilience.
Earlier in the week, the state government had taken the impact of the July and August 2026 landslides and flooding to the international conference, seeking about $25 million in support for emergency response, ecological restoration and future disaster preparedness.
The request is being advanced through the proposed Cross River Restore Hope Initiative, which the state delegation has presented to potential investors and development partners.
Delegates Seek Support Beyond Emergency Relief
At the COP17 venue, the Cross River delegation distributed reports and information materials detailing the environmental challenges confronting communities across the state.
The materials highlighted disasters that have affected lives, livelihoods and infrastructure, while also outlining the need for investments in restoration and environmental resilience.
The delegates also participated in side meetings and held discussions with representatives of governments, international organisations and development institutions.
Achadu said the engagements had generated encouraging responses.
According to him, the delegation had met with the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, the Director-General of the Nigeria Climate Change Council, Omotenioye Majekodunmi, the World Bank Country Director and other stakeholders.
He said the Federal Government had expressed willingness to work with Cross River in addressing some of the environmental challenges raised at the conference.
However, the federal authorities also drew attention to illegal logging and deforestation in the state.
Lawal reportedly urged Cross River to strengthen the enforcement of environmental laws and take stronger action against the destruction of its forests.
The minister stressed that the Federal Government could support the state but noted that local enforcement and policy implementation would remain essential.
Illegal Logging & Deforestation Under Scrutiny
The discussion at COP17 has again drawn attention to the environmental contradictions confronting Cross River.
The state remains one of Nigeria’s most important ecological and biodiversity centres, with extensive rainforest areas and a wide range of endangered wildlife.
It is home to the critically endangered Cross River gorilla, as well as chimpanzees, drills, forest elephants and other plant and animal species found within the Nigeria-Cameroon ecological zone.
Yet, illegal logging, agricultural expansion, infrastructure development and extreme weather events continue to place enormous pressure on these ecosystems.
This makes the environmental challenge more complex than the immediate impact of flooding and erosion.
While Cross River seeks international assistance for disaster recovery, it also faces the longer-term responsibility of protecting the natural systems that could reduce future ecological damage.
The warning from the Federal Government therefore places environmental governance at the centre of the state’s recovery agenda.
Erosion Crisis Exceeds Existing Funding Capacity
Achadu said the scale of environmental degradation in Cross River had grown beyond what existing funding mechanisms could adequately address.
He argued that the state needed additional financial and technical support to respond effectively.
According to him, international engagement could help Cross River access opportunities in areas beyond emergency relief.
These include agriculture, water management, ecological restoration and sustainable development.
He said the delegation would follow up on contacts made during the conference and begin formal discussions with potential partners after returning to Nigeria.
Achadu also argued that the environmental problems facing Cross River should not be viewed as state issues alone.
He said environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and disaster risks could have wider national consequences.
COP17 & Nigeria’s Wider Environmental Challenge
The Cross River intervention is taking place against a broader national debate about land degradation and competition for natural resources.
Across Nigeria, shrinking grazing areas, desertification, drought and environmental degradation have intensified pressure on land.
These pressures have contributed to competition between pastoralists and farming communities in different parts of the country.
Nigeria has hundreds of grazing reserves, although many have deteriorated or become dysfunctional over the years due to population growth, urbanisation and other human pressures.
At COP17, Nigeria and other African countries are pushing for stronger international financing mechanisms to address land degradation and rangeland challenges.
They are also supporting calls for a legally binding international framework on drought management.
The conference, which opened on August 17 under the theme, “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope,” is expected to conclude on August 28, subject to the outcome of negotiations.
For Cross River, COP17 has become more than an international environmental meeting.
It has become a platform to transform the state’s ecological crisis into a case for investment, restoration and stronger partnerships.
The ultimate test, however, will come after the conference.
The contacts made in Mongolia will need to translate into funding, policy reforms and concrete projects capable of reducing environmental risks and protecting the communities and ecosystems that remain under increasing pressure.
