Priscilla Achakpa and the Ecofeminist Struggle for Climate Justice in Nigeria

 

Across Africa, women are leading some of the most transformative environmental movements of our time. They are defending forests, protecting water sources, promoting sustainable agriculture, advancing clean energy solutions, and rebuilding communities affected by climate change. 

Among these visionary leaders is Dr. Priscilla Achakpa, founder and Global President of the Women Environmental Programme (WEP), whose work has become a powerful example of ecofeminist activism rooted in justice, sustainability, and grassroots empowerment.

For decades, Priscilla Achakpa has dedicated her life to addressing the interconnected crises of environmental degradation, gender inequality, energy poverty, and climate injustice in Nigeria and beyond. Through WEP, she has shown that environmental protection cannot be separated from the lived realities of women, especially rural women whose survival depends directly on natural ecosystems.

Her work reflects one of ecofeminism’s central truths: that the exploitation of nature and the marginalization of women are deeply interconnected systems that must be challenged together.

The Women Environmental Programme was founded out of a struggle against environmental pollution affecting local communities in Nigeria. According to WEP’s history, Priscilla Achakpa mobilized women to advocate against environmental pollution caused by textile industries, a movement that eventually evolved into WEP.

What began as a local environmental campaign grew into one of Nigeria’s most influential gender-focused environmental organizations. Today, WEP works across climate justice, environmental sustainability, governance, peacebuilding, and women’s empowerment. The organization has impacted millions of people through its community-centered programs and advocacy initiatives.

This origin story matters because it highlights a key ecofeminist principle: environmental activism often begins with women defending their communities, families, health, and livelihoods against ecological harm.

(Source: Women Environmental Programme) 

Priscilla Achakpa’s activism consistently emphasizes that climate change is not gender-neutral. Women especially poor and rural women are often disproportionately affected by environmental crises due to unequal access to resources, economic opportunities, healthcare, and political representation.

In interviews and advocacy campaigns, Achakpa has spoken openly about how climate change intensifies women’s burdens. She has highlighted how environmental degradation forces migration, increases caregiving responsibilities, and deepens poverty in vulnerable communities.

Her work through WEP challenges the idea that women should only be viewed as victims of climate change. Instead, she positions women as leaders, innovators, educators, and agents of environmental transformation.

This perspective aligns strongly with ecofeminist thought, which argues that women’s knowledge, labor, and lived experiences are essential to building sustainable societies.

(Source: Women Environmental Programme)

(Source: Women Environmental Programme)

One of WEP’s most influential areas of work has been promoting clean cooking technologies and sustainable energy access for women. In Nigeria, millions of households still rely on firewood and biomass fuels for cooking, exposing women and children to dangerous indoor air pollution.

Priscilla Achakpa has consistently advocated for clean energy access as both a health issue and a gender justice issue. WEP has trained women across multiple Nigerian states to construct and use energy-efficient cookstoves made from local materials. These initiatives help reduce deforestation, lower carbon emissions, and protect women from harmful smoke exposure.

According to WEP’s advocacy, women bear the greatest burden of energy poverty because they are primarily responsible for cooking, food processing, and household management. Achakpa has emphasized that lack of clean energy access contributes to illness, economic inequality, and environmental degradation.

This work demonstrates how ecofeminism connects environmental sustainability with care work, public health, and economic justice.

(Source: Women Environmental Programme)

Another major dimension of Priscilla Achakpa’s work is supporting women’s economic empowerment through sustainable environmental practices.

WEP has promoted technologies such as solar dryers for preserving agricultural products, helping rural women reduce food waste and improve economic stability. These interventions are especially important in regions where climate instability threatens agricultural livelihoods and food security.

The organization also provides women with training in renewable energy maintenance, climate adaptation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable resource management.

This approach reflects a deeply ecofeminist understanding of sustainability: environmental protection is most effective when communities have economic autonomy, social support, and participatory power.

Rather than imposing top-down environmental solutions, WEP focuses on grassroots participation and community-led resilience.

(Source: Women Environmental Programme)

WEP Founder Dr Priscilla Achakpa receives the “Albert Ballin Award for Global Action” 2022

Priscilla Achakpa’s activism extends beyond Nigeria into international climate and environmental policy spaces. She has represented Nigeria in global climate discussions and served in leadership roles connected to the United Nations Environment Programme and the Women and Gender Constituency.

At international climate negotiations, Achakpa has consistently advocated for women’s inclusion in environmental decision-making. She has argued that climate policies cannot succeed if women who make up a significant portion of those affected by climate change remain excluded from leadership spaces.

Her role in supporting Nigeria’s National Action Plan on Gender and Climate Change further demonstrates her influence in shaping gender-responsive environmental policy.

Ecofeminism insists that environmental governance must include marginalized voices, and Achakpa’s work exemplifies this principle through both grassroots mobilization and institutional advocacy.

Environmental restoration is another key area of WEP’s work. Through projects connected to Nigeria’s Great Green Wall initiative, WEP has supported women’s involvement in reforestation and anti-desertification efforts across northern Nigeria.

These projects are not simply about planting trees. They represent broader efforts to restore ecological balance, reduce poverty, improve food security, and strengthen climate resilience in regions heavily affected by desertification.

Ecofeminism emphasizes reciprocal relationships with nature rather than extractive ones. WEP’s restoration initiatives embody this philosophy by linking ecological repair with community wellbeing and women’s empowerment.

What makes Priscilla Achakpa’s work especially powerful is the way it reframes environmental activism as an act of care.

Achakpa’s activism centers human dignity. Her work recognizes that environmental justice means ensuring women can cook safely, feed their families, access clean energy, participate in governance, and live in healthy ecosystems.

This care-centered approach reflects the heart of ecofeminism: the belief that compassion, cooperation, and collective responsibility are necessary for ecological survival.

Priscilla Achakpa’s work through the Women Environmental Programme represents one of the most important forms of environmental leadership emerging from Africa today. By connecting gender justice, climate action, sustainable livelihoods, and grassroots empowerment, she has helped redefine what environmental activism can look like.