BudgIT Foundation unveils 8 fellows for 2025 climate fellowship 

BudgIT Foundation, a civic-tech non-profit, has unveiled eight fellows for the BudgIT 2025 Community Champions Climate Fellowship.

In a statement on Wednesday, the foundation said the fellowship will drive inclusive policies and representation in Nigeria’s clime decisions.

The participants, selected from various professions and regions, were unveiled in a virtual onboarding session held on Tuesday.

The fellows are Moses Deshi, Sedy Isaac, Okocha Ifeanyi, Amos Chinwendu, Florence Attah, Surajudeen Salwa, Abubakar Abdulmusawwir, and Princess Odiaka.

Speaking during the event, Enebi Opaluwa, head of the natural resources and climate governance department at the foundation, said the fellows will be empowered to embark on projects that will reshape national conversation on energy transition and climate change.

Opaluwa said the fellowship is designed to empower vulnerable and marginalised communities by including their perspectives in critical policy debates.

“This project is aimed at increasing the representation of vulnerable and marginalised voices in national conversations and national debates around the energy transition and around climate change. We want to raise individuals who can extend the debate, the work, and the impact beyond traditional boundaries,” Opaluwa explained during the onboarding session.

“By providing knowledge, skills, networks, and mentorship, these fellows will be equipped to carry the conversation within their unique contexts and help shape a more inclusive energy transition.”

Noting the complexity of energy transition, Opaluwa said its impact varies significantly, not only between countries but also within them.

“The way the transition affects women is different from the way it affects men; urban areas face different challenges compared to rural ones. The idea is to get a multifaceted, multidisciplinary representation and approach to these issues,” he said.

“How can we ensure that vulnerable groups, far-flung communities are involved in this debate? And that is one thing, which is we now do engagements specifically on energy transition and climate change. However, we want to take it beyond that. We can go into a community and we can sensitise them and create awareness and perhaps establish communication channels to continue to work.

“But if we raise individuals that can extend the debate, extend the work, extend the knowledge, extend the impact, I think we’ve taken this campaign a bit more further. And that was one of the reasons why we decided to embark on this fellowship programme.”

Opaluwa further said Nigeria’s progressive approach to energy policy provides a robust backdrop for the fellowship.