By Rahima Shehu Dokaji
Before sunrise in Kura, Aisha Lawal is already outside. A baby tied to her back, a bundle of firewood balanced on her head. The air is still cool, but it won’t last. By midday, the heat will settle in, thick and unrelenting.
“We are the ones who stay even if there is trouble,” she says. “When things get bad, some men leave. But we remain, with the children, farm, and everything.”
It’s not said with anger. Just a fact, and that fact sits at the centre of Kano’s climate reality.
A Crisis That Falls Unevenly
Climate change is often discussed in global terms—carbon levels, emissions targets, rising temperatures. But in places like Kano, it shows up differently: a failed rainy season, a dried-up well, and a harvest that doesn’t come.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, women are “crucial custodians of indigenous knowledge” and are already leading many community-level climate solutions. And yet, they continue to face barriers like limited access to land, finance, and most importantly, decision-making.
Across northern Nigeria, women are at the centre of daily survival. They farm, fetch water, cook, and care for children. So when climate stress hits any of those systems, it hits women first. Therefore what Aisha describes is part of a wider pattern.
Globally, women make up a significant share of the agricultural workforce, yet they consistently have less access to land and resources. And when it comes to shaping climate responses, they are still underrepresented.
Africa’s Push to Close the Gap
Across Africa, governments are beginning to recognise this imbalance. Through frameworks linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, countries are under increasing pressure to adopt gender-responsive climate policies—approaches that don’t just identify women as vulnerable, but actively include them in solutions. The African Union has also pushed for stronger inclusion, encouraging member states to integrate women into climate planning, financing, and implementation.
The thinking is shifting: climate resilience is stronger when women are not just include, but empowered. But for many communities, that shift is still more visible in policy conversations than in everyday life. But as with many policies, progress on paper does not always translate into change on the ground.
In Nigeria, the gap is even more visible. Women make up nearly half the population, but hold just 3.9% of parliamentary seats. This statistic matters, because when women are missing from leadership, they are also missing from the policies that shape their lives, including climate policy. The consequences ripple outward. In simple terms, those most affected by climate change have the least say in how to respond to it.
In Kano, there have been efforts to bring women into the conversation. Umar Saleh Anka, the Director Climate Change, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, describes consultations where women were given key positions at the ministry, and rural women spoke openly about what they face: shrinking firewood sources, poor soil, changing rainfall patterns, and the pressure to keep households running under increasing strain.
Those conversations revealed how women are not unaware of climate change. They are living it.
But awareness alone is not enough. Dr. Murtala Uba, a climate expert, explains:
“Whenever there is a climate-related disaster—flood, drought, extreme heat, women are at the receiving end. Because of their roles, they are more exposed.”
He adds that while some women are included in discussions, many especially those in rural areas are still not fully reached by policies or interventions.
The Firewood Reality
In most rural homes, cooking still depends on firewood. Every day, women walk long distances to gather it. They know the forests are shrinking, they see the changes, but alternatives are limited.
“We know it is not good to cut trees,” says Hauwa Bello from Garko. “But what else can we do? We cannot cook without it.”
This is where climate policy often feels distant. The solutions: clean energy, gas, improved stoves exist. But they are not always affordable or accessible. So women are left balancing immediate survival against long-term environmental impact.
When Farming Stops Making Sense
For farmers, the deeper challenge is unpredictability. The seasons no longer follow a clear pattern. Rainfall is inconsistent and floods come suddenly.
“I planted three times,” says Maryam Abdullahi in Bunkure. “The first time, no rain. The second time, it stopped early. The third time, the flood came. I lost everything.”
In many homes, the effects of climate change show up quietly even in children. Less food, more illness, and disrupted routines.
In Kumbotso, Fatima sits outside with her child.
“When there is no harvest, there is no food,” she says. “And when there is no food, the children suffer first.”
There are statistics that capture this globall, but here, it is visible in everyday life.
What the Research Shows About Women
Despite the challenges, there is growing evidence that women are not just vulnerable, they are essential to climate solutions.
Dr. Murtala Uba, a climate change expert in Bayero University Kano (BUK), refers to a study he participated in, conducted in parts of northern Nigeria, including Taraba and Kebbi States. Trees distributed to women farmers had a significantly higher survival rate than those given to men.
The reason was not technical, it was practical. Women were more likely to plant trees within their compounds, where they could monitor them closely. They watered them regularly, protected them, and integrated them into their daily routines.
“A woman plants a tree and takes care of it like part of her household,” he explains. “Because of that, it survives.”
The research highlights how when women are given resources, they do not just use them, they sustain them.
This is why experts argue that women should not be seen only as victims of climate change. They are already adapting in small, practical ways by adjusting farming methods, managing scarce water, and finding ways to stretch limited resources
With the right support, training, access to finance, and clean energy, they could do much more.
A Gap That Still Exists
Across Africa, there is growing recognition of this potential. Policies increasingly talk about inclusion, empowerment, and gender-responsive climate action.
But on the ground, progress is uneven.
“They ask us questions,” says Zainab Musa. “But we don’t always see what comes after.”
That gap between consultation and real impact remains one of the biggest challenges. As the day ends in Kura, Aisha is back home. The firewood she carried earlier is now burning under a small pot. She has heard about climate change and solutions. But for her, it comes down to something simple:
“Let it reach us,” she says. “Something we can actually use.”
What This Means
From global frameworks to African strategies to local realities in Kano, women are central to both the impact of climate change and the response to it.
They are already holding families together, managing resources, and adapting where they can. But they cannot do it alone. Until support systems truly reach them on their farms, in their homes, in their daily lives, the burden will remain on their shoulders.
