The Participation Ceiling: Institutional Capture and Gender-Responsive Adaptation in the Lake Chad Basin

Abstract

Despite global commitments to gender-responsive climate adaptation, meaningful participation remains limited in conflict-affected settings. This article examines the participation ceiling in the Lake Chad Basin, where 65% of respondents considered government action on climate and gender very important, yet only 43% had participated in any gender-related programme. Drawing on mixed-methods data from 400 households, 20 in-depth interviews, and policy document analysis, the study shows how institutional capture and securitized governance constrain transformative participation. Women's visibility in humanitarian systems through registration, beneficiary targeting, and programme attendance often masks their exclusion from agenda-setting and resource control. Fragmented interventions, short project cycles, and militarized humanitarian spaces collectively reproduce a participation ceiling that limits empowerment. The article argues that gender inclusion frequently functions as a governance tool rather than a redistributive process and calls for Community Resilience Boards, participatory budgeting, and the de-securitization of adaptation governance to promote substantive gender-responsive decision-making.