• President Bola Ahmed Tinubu launched the Global Flood Disaster Management Project on 25 November 2025 to shift Nigeria from reactive to proactive flood management.
• The project rests on four pillars: advanced early-warning systems, flood-resilient infrastructure, capacity-building with knowledge transfer, and community engagement.
• Nigeria faced worsening floods in 2024, with inundated farmland increasing from 204,000 ha in mid-August to 558,000 ha by 10 September, according to FAO.

Nigeria continues to face devastating floods that affect multiple regions. These floods cause numerous casualties, generate major material losses and displace millions of people each year.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu launched the Global Flood Disaster Management Project (GFDMP) on 25 November 2025 to mitigate climate-change impacts and strengthen Nigeria’s resilience to recurrent flooding.

Tinubu said the programme will improve forecasting capacity, establish real-time monitoring and deploy digital alerts to give authorities and communities more time to prepare and respond.

The project rests on four pillars: the introduction of advanced early-warning systems, the development of flood-resilient infrastructure, strengthened capacities supported by knowledge transfer and increased community engagement and local participation.

Tinubu said the GFDMP is a multi-year programme designed to move the country from reactive flood management to a proactive and preventive approach. He reminded stakeholders that “resilience does not get built in an instant, but through consistent investment, planning, monitoring and innovation.” He added that the federal government views the project as “a major step in fighting climate disasters that ravage farmland, displace families and paralyse infrastructure.”

Nigeria has endured widespread flooding for several years. FAO data show the situation worsened in 2024. The area of temporarily flooded farmland increased from 204,000 hectares in mid-August to 558,000 hectares by 10 September.

The government, acting through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), distributed nearly 42,000 tonnes of food to the most vulnerable communities in 2024. The European Union also released €1.1 million ($1.22 million) to support humanitarian operations for flood victims.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) stated in its “State of the Climate in Africa 2023” report that African countries lose between 2% and 5% of GDP annually because of extreme climate events such as heatwaves, heavy rainfalls, cyclones and droughts.

This article was initially published in French by Ingrid Haffiny (intern)

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum