By Ezra Ukanwa, Abuja

In a bid to mitigate the environmental impact of Nigeria’s rapidly growing technology ecosystem, the United Kingdom government has funded the “Smart Climate Awareness, Learning and Empowerment (SCALE) for Net Zero” program through its Digital Access Program (DAP) of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The initiative, implemented by Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi), aims to raise eco-consciousness and drive responsible digital behaviors among Information and Communications Technology (ICT) companies, digital start-ups, innovation hubs, and other key stakeholders in the tech ecosystem.

With a focus on evidence generation, knowledge management, incentivized capacity development, media-driven public awareness, and high-level policy advocacy, the SCALE program seeks to align producers, consumers, and stakeholders towards a greener, more sustainable future for Nigeria’s digital landscape.

Speaking at a media briefing, Gideon Olanrewaju, CEO of AREAi, emphasized the importance of improving eco-consciousness and driving responsible digital behaviors in the usage and maintenance of digital tools and internet devices.

He said: “Digital transformations and the rise of remote work have made technology essential to almost every organization’s operation. But as research emerges on tech’s environmental impacts, the digital sector’s role in the climate crisis has come under increasing scrutiny.

“In Nigeria for example, the National Communications Commission (NCC) reported that the total GHG emissions from the energy
sector, which is a major enabler of Nigeria’s ICT and digital technology system, is about 34% of the total net GreenHouse Gas emissions of Nigeria, making it the second major contributor of GHG in the country.

“Evidence shows that the technology ecosystem has a growing “carbon footprint” and this is from greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions that stems from across all the life cycle stages of all technological processes from extraction of raw materials used for software and hardware production, various energy required for the use or operational maintenance of technology products and digital
waste disposal.

“Despite concerted efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), the
Information and Communication Industry (ICT) has received little attention even though it is a
significant contributor to GHG emissions. This is the underlying fact that led to the design of this intervention.

“It is evident that ICT emissions will not reduce without major concerted efforts that involves broad political and industrial actions and more significantly, a coordinated response that leverages informal approaches in galvanizing key actions across the whole spectrum of involvement across the ICT sector including innovation hubs, technology start-ups, data processing centers and other producers, suppliers and consumers of digital hardware.

“Therefore, with funding support from the United Kingdom through the Digital Access Program of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, we are excited to announce the commissioning and launch of the SCALE for NetZero Program – SCALE stands for Smart Climate Awareness, Learning and Empowerment.”

Head of the UK Government’s Digital Access Programme and Country Adviser, Idongesit Udoh, praised the initiative as a pioneering effort to leverage evidence-based, citizens-led approaches to catalyze progress in digital sustainability awareness and support environmentally responsible technology business operations.

Vanguard reports that the SCALE program will engage key stakeholders across Abia, Rivers, Lagos, Kaduna, and Adamawa states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, and collaborate with research institutions, tech startups, government agencies, and civil society organizations to drive a large-scale citizen engagement strategy.

Furthermore, the initiative marks a significant step towards reducing Nigeria’s digital carbon footprint and promoting sustainable development in the tech ecosystem.