Environmental Security and Nigeria’s Foreign Policy Response to Desertification in the North West

This study examines the relationship between environmental security, specifically the advancing desertification and land degradation affecting the North West geopolitical zone of Nigeria, and Nigeria's foreign policy responses through multilateral environmental agreements and regional cooperation frameworks. The North West states of Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi face acute desertification pressure linked to climate change, unsustainable land use, and deforestation, contributing to resource scarcity conflicts and population displacement that carry transnational security implications. Drawing on environmental security theory and the concept of climate-security nexus, this research analyses Nigeria's engagement with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Great Green Wall Initiative, and bilateral cooperation with Niger and Mali on shared drylands management from 2019 to 2024. The study employs a qualitative methodology, drawing on UNCCD national reporting, Federal Ministry of Environment documentation, Great Green Wall progress assessments, and semi-structured interviews with environmental diplomacy officials and community representatives in Sokoto State. Findings are expected to show that Nigeria's diplomatic engagement with desertification frameworks is institutionally active but domestically underfunded, limiting the practical impact of international commitments on North West environmental degradation. Recommendations address financing mechanisms and inter-ministerial coordination for environmental diplomacy implementation. Keywords: environmental security, desertification, North West Nigeria, UNCCD, Great Green Wall.