Journalists in Nigeria and Cameroon covering environmental issues, forests and climate change are seeking stronger cross-border collaboration to improve climate reporting, strengthen biodiversity conservation and build community resilience.
The President of the Cameroon Biodiversity Journalists Association, Robert Abunaw, expressed the commitment in a congratulatory letter to the newly elected Chairman of the Environment Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN), Joycelyn Adah.
Abunaw said the association was eager to work with EMCAN to address the climate crisis and other environmental challenges confronting communities in both countries.
He described Adah’s emergence as an opportunity to strengthen professional cooperation between environmental journalists in Nigeria and Cameroon.
According to him, the two countries face similar environmental challenges, including flooding in Manyu Division of Cameroon and Cross River State in Nigeria, making collaboration between journalists essential.
He proposed joint reporting projects, the exchange of field data and collaborative training programmes to improve the quality and impact of environmental journalism in both countries.
Abunaw also called for joint investigations into transboundary protected areas, including the Korup National Park in Cameroon and Cross River National Park in Nigeria.
Other areas identified for collaboration include reporting on habitat loss, the trafficking of endangered species, and disaster preparedness and response.
He said the partnership would also support the African Union–United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (AU-UNDRR) media initiative aimed at strengthening disaster reporting and helping save lives.
The Cameroonian environmental journalist stressed that the Nigeria-Cameroon Biodiversity Conservation Agreement signed in Abuja in 2024 should translate into practical action through collaborative reporting and stronger engagement among environmental journalists in both countries.
“We pledge to use the tenets of our profession—truth, accuracy, public interest and solutions journalism—to help our people tackle climate change. Our people should not inherit a climate crisis, but a climate inheritance of knowledge, adaptation finance, carbon justice and resilience,” Abunaw said.
He expressed his readiness to meet with EMCAN and other relevant stakeholders to develop a joint 2026–2027 action plan to guide the proposed collaboration.
Responding, EMCAN Chairman Joycelyn Adah welcomed the call for cooperation, describing cross-border collaboration, capacity building and the exchange of ideas as important steps towards strengthening environmental journalism.
Adah expressed the association’s commitment to exploring practical ways to translate the shared vision into meaningful action, particularly in climate reporting, biodiversity conservation, community resilience and professional development.
The proposed partnership is expected to create opportunities for journalists in both countries to share expertise, investigate common environmental threats and provide communities with information that can support climate adaptation and environmental protection.
