What is EIA? Definition, purpose, and history — from NEPA 1969 to global adoption · EIA in Nigeria: NESREA Act, EIA Decree 86 of 1992, and regulatory procedures · EIA globally: World Bank ESF, IFC Performance Standards, African Development Bank safeguards · Types of assessment: EIA, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and ESIA · Screening: determining whether a project requires full EIA, limited EIA, or exemption · The EIA process: screening, scoping, baseline surveys, impact assessment, mitigation, monitoring, reporting · IAIA best practice principles: participation, accountability, transparency, and credibility · Stakeholder roles: proponents, competent authorities, technical specialists, communities

What is scoping? Purpose, participants, and the scoping process · Identifying key environmental and social issues: air, water, soil, biodiversity, people · Spatial and temporal scope: defining the study area and time horizon · Alternatives analysis: comparing project designs and siting options · Terms of Reference (ToR): structure, content, and regulatory requirements in Nigeria · Scoping methods: checklists, matrices, expert judgement, and public meetings · Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC): principles and process · Hands-on lab: produce a scoping checklist and draft ToR for a sample agricultural project

Air quality baseline: meteorological data, ambient monitoring, and pollution sources · Water quality baseline: surface water and groundwater sampling parameters and standards · Soil and land: sampling, land use mapping, contamination screening · Biodiversity baseline: vegetation surveys, wildlife assessment, and protected species · Noise and vibration: baseline survey methods, equipment, and standards · Socioeconomic baseline: livelihoods, health, cultural heritage, and gender · Community health baseline: disease prevalence, WASH access, and health facilities · GIS in baseline surveys: mapping sensitive receptors, habitats, and land use · Hands-on lab: design a baseline survey plan using GIS and survey methods

Types of impacts: direct, indirect, cumulative, transboundary, and long-term · Impact prediction methods: quantitative modelling, expert judgement, and matrices · Leopold matrix: construction, rating, and limitations · Significance evaluation: magnitude, sensitivity, reversibility, duration, and probability · Mitigation hierarchy: avoid, minimise, restore, offset — applying in practice · Environmental Management Plans (EMP): structure, content, and legal requirements · Monitoring and compliance: designing an environmental monitoring programme · Cumulative impact assessment: combined effects of multiple projects · Social impact assessment (SIA): impacts on communities, livelihoods, and cultural heritage

Why climate change is now mandatory in EIA: Paris Agreement, NESREA, and World Bank ESF requirements · Climate screening: determining if a project contributes to or is affected by climate change · Greenhouse Gas (GHG) assessment: estimating project carbon footprint — Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions · Climate vulnerability assessment: identifying climate-related risks to project infrastructure and communities · Climate adaptation measures: incorporating climate resilience into project design and the EMP · Climate mitigation measures: reducing emissions through technology choice and operational design · Just transition and climate justice: ensuring climate measures do not disproportionately burden vulnerable communities · IPCC climate scenarios: using RCP and SSP pathways to project future climate conditions for EIA · Carbon offsetting and nature-based solutions: when and how to use them in development projects · Climate change and biodiversity: compounding ecosystem impacts and resilience considerations · Writing the climate change chapter in an EIA report: required structure, evidence, and disclosures · Hands-on lab: conduct a GHG screening and climate vulnerability assessment for a sample project

Why stakeholder engagement is central to EIA quality and legitimacy · Identifying stakeholders: mapping affected communities, government, and civil society · Public participation methods: community meetings, FGDs, questionnaires, and online · FPIC: principles, process, and documentation requirements · Vulnerable groups: ensuring inclusion of women, youth, elderly, and marginalised · Grievance mechanisms: designing a fair, accessible project grievance system · Documenting engagement: consultation reports, attendance registers, issues log · Non-technical summaries: communicating EIA findings to affected communities · Gender and social inclusion: mainstreaming gender throughout the EIA process

EIA report structure: all required sections — non-technical summary to appendices · Writing the project description: location, design, construction, operation, decommissioning · Writing the environmental baseline: presenting survey data clearly · Writing the impact assessment: linking activities, receptors, impacts, significance, mitigation · Writing the EMP: measures, responsible parties, timelines, and indicators · Writing the monitoring plan: parameters, frequency, methods, and reporting · EIA review criteria: NESREA review process and World Bank quality check framework · Common weaknesses in EIAs: what reviewers look for and how to avoid rejection · Post-EIA monitoring: environmental compliance and adaptive management · Capstone: produce a complete EIA scoping document or executive summary EIA report for a project scenario of your choice

Conduct a complete EIA process from screening to report writing to NESREA and World Bank standards · Design baseline surveys, impact matrices, and Environmental Management Plans · Engage stakeholders using IAIA best practice, FPIC principles, and inclusive approaches · Apply the mitigation hierarchy across environmental and social impact categories · Produce professional EIA scoping documents, ToRs, EMPs, and final EIA reports · Achieve a credential aligned to NESREA, World Bank ESF, IFC Performance Standards, and IAIA

Complete all 7 modules, pass a proctored examination (minimum 75%), submit a complete EIA scoping document or executive summary EIA report for a project scenario, and submit a GHG screening and climate vulnerability assessment exercise.

Environmental Impact Assessment Practitioner, Environmental Consultant, Environmental Officer (Government/NGO), EIA Reviewer, Environmental Compliance Officer, Social and Environmental Safeguards Specialist, Development Project Advisor. Average starting salary: $40,000–$80,000 USD.