• EMCAN Chairman, Robert Abunaw Pledge Collaboration on Biodiversity Conservation, Climate Reporting
By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
Environmental journalists in Nigeria and Cameroon have expressed commitment to strengthening cross-border collaboration on climate change reporting, biodiversity conservation and community resilience, following a partnership proposal by the Cameroon Biodiversity Journalists Association.
The proposed collaboration is aimed at promoting joint investigative reporting, sharing environmental data, building journalists’ capacity and supporting the protection of vulnerable rainforest communities across the two neighbouring countries.
The initiative followed a congratulatory letter dated October 10, 2026, from Robert Abunaw, a founding journalist with CTV, United Nations-certified Climate Action Strategist, member of the ONACC Climate Risk and Surveillance Group, Pulitzer Congo Basin Rainforest Journalism Fund grantee and author of 300 Climate Concepts for Rainforest Journalists in English and French.
In the letter addressed to the Chairman of the Environmental Media Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN), Abunaw congratulated the association’s leadership and called for stronger professional cooperation between Nigerian and Cameroonian environmental journalists.
He noted that the two countries shared rainforests, rivers and climate-related challenges that required coordinated responses and a common voice in advocating for affected communities.
According to him, climate change does not respect national boundaries, stressing that environmental challenges affecting Cameroon’s Manyu Division and Nigeria’s Cross River communities demonstrate the need for joint action.
Abunaw expressed the Cameroonian journalists’ readiness to co-produce environmental stories, exchange field data and organise joint training programmes under a framework of professional solidarity.
He also called for the implementation of the Nigeria-Cameroon Biodiversity Conservation Memorandum of Understanding signed in Abuja in 2024, insisting that the agreement should translate into practical initiatives that benefit communities on both sides of the border.
He identified the Cameroon-based South West Development Authority (SOWEDA), the National Observatory on Climate Change (ONACC) and community radio stations in Cameroon’s South West Region as potential partners in advancing the initiative.
Among the proposed areas of collaboration are joint reporting on transboundary protected areas, particularly the Korup National Park in Cameroon and Cross River National Park in Nigeria.
Others include community sensitisation on European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) compliance for cocoa and palm oil farmers, cross-border reporting on habitat destruction and endangered-species trafficking, as well as a joint disaster preparedness and response reporting plan.
Abunaw said the proposed disaster reporting framework would align with the African Union-United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (AU-UNDRR) Media Saving Lives Initiative.
He further presented his publication, 300 Climate Concepts for Rainforest Journalists, as a practical resource to support environmental journalists in implementing the proposed partnership and improving public understanding of climate issues.
Emphasising the responsibility of the media in promoting climate justice, Abunaw said environmental journalists must uphold truth, accuracy, public interest and solutions journalism in reporting issues affecting vulnerable communities.
He urged journalists to help communities understand climate adaptation, adaptation financing and carbon finance while protecting them against what he described as climate colonialism.
He added that communities should not merely inherit the consequences of climate change but should also benefit from knowledge, resilience, adaptation financing and climate justice.
The Cameroonian journalist proposed a formal partnership meeting, either virtually or in Calabar, Cross River State, or Buea, Cameroon, to develop a joint action plan for 2026–2027.
In her response dated October 12, 2026, EMCAN Chairman, Ilyn Ellakeche Adah, expressed appreciation for Abunaw’s congratulatory message and his commitment to strengthening cooperation between environmental journalists in both countries.
Adah said she shared his belief that environmental challenges required stronger cross-border collaboration, knowledge sharing and impactful reporting.
She noted that, as chairman of EMCAN, she looked forward to exploring practical ways to translate the shared vision into meaningful action, particularly in climate reporting, biodiversity conservation, community resilience and capacity building.
The EMCAN chairman also expressed optimism about further engagements that would lead to a productive partnership benefiting journalists and the communities they serve.
The proposed collaboration is expected to provide a platform for environmental journalists from Nigeria and Cameroon to strengthen public awareness, improve cross-border information sharing and contribute to efforts aimed at protecting the Congo Basin rainforest ecosystem.
Abunaw copied the Consul General of Nigeria in Buea on his letter, underscoring the diplomatic and regional significance of the proposed media partnership.
The initiative comes amid growing calls for stronger cooperation among media professionals, policymakers and environmental organisations to address biodiversity loss, climate risks and the vulnerability of communities dependent on forest resources.
If effectively implemented, the partnership could strengthen environmental accountability and promote coordinated reporting on shared ecological challenges across the Nigeria-Cameroon border.
