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Tag: COP30

  • Africa’s Climate Finance Battle: What COP30 achieved and what lies ahead

    Africa’s Climate Finance Battle: What COP30 achieved and what lies ahead

    “Africa cannot accelerate climate action without predictable, accessible, and just climate finance.”

    Africa’s push for equitable climate finance took center stage at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, an event that many African negotiators describe as both a breakthrough and a reminder of the long road ahead. While the continent secured new commitments on adaptation financing and “loss and damage funding”, the gap between pledges and actual disbursement remains wide.

    At COP30, African leaders emphasized that the continent, despite contributing less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, bears the brunt of climate impacts; floods, droughts, desertification, and food insecurity.

    The African Group of Negotiators (AGN) argued strongly for reforms to the global climate finance structure, calling for easier access, reduced bureaucracy, and a significant increase in adaptation-specific financing.

    One major achievement from COP30 was the strengthening of the Loss and Damage Fund operationalized at COP28. Several high-emitting countries pledged additional resources, with some promising long-term contributions up to 2030.

    However, experts caution that much of this funding is still far from guaranteed. Another area of progress was the renewed commitment to revisiting the long-standing but unmet $100 billion annual finance promise first made in 2009. African delegates pushed for a clear roadmap, demanding transparency on how wealthier nations plan to meet and surpass that target. COP30 concluded with a framework requiring annual reporting and more accountability.

    Despite these wins, Africa’s climate finance needs continue to grow. The African Development Bank estimates that Africa requires up to $2.8 trillion by 2030 to fully implement its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Current flows remain a fraction of that amount.

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    Africa also raised the alarm over the imbalance between mitigation and adaptation finance. Roughly 70% of global climate finance still goes to mitigation; projects like renewable energy, while only 30% supports adaptation. African nations, however, need strong investments in early warning systems, flood defenses, climate-smart agriculture, and resilient infrastructure. Looking beyond COP30, Africa is pushing for deeper reforms within global financial institutions. Many countries argue that multilateral development banks must increase concessional financing and reduce interest rates that leave nations trapped in debt cycles.

    There is also growing momentum behind calls for debt-for-climate swaps; an approach that could free fiscal space. As COP31 approaches, the continent plans to present a unified strategy aimed at securing long-term finance commitments, strengthening adaptation mechanisms, and boosting the negotiating power of African states. Observers say Africa’s voice in global climate diplomacy is growing louder.

    The outcome of COP30 makes one thing clear: Africa’s climate finance battle is not just about environmental survival, it is an economic, political, and moral fight for fairness. The world may have moved a step forward in Belém, but unless promises turn into tangible action, Africa will continue to demand justice on the global stage.

    • Adebayo Adeleye, PhD, Ibadan, Researcher in Environmental Pollution and Control badeleye@gmail.com    +234 803 525 6450
  • Lagos showcases climate leadership, investment outcomes at COP30 in Brazil

    Lagos showcases climate leadership, investment outcomes at COP30 in Brazil

    The Lagos State Government, through the Office of Climate Change and Circular Economy (OCCE), has reaffirmed its position as a continental leader in climate action following a successful series of high-level engagements at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in São Paulo, Brazil.

    Across three impactful sessions from November 6 to 8, Lagos showcased its flagship initiatives like the 80 Million Clean Cookstoves Initiative, LAMATA’s e-Mobility Programme, demonstrating how subnational governments can attract global capital to drive inclusive, measurable climate progress.

    Speaking on Lagos State’s agenda and outcomes, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Mrs. Titi Oshodi, emphasised the State’s catalytic leadership.

    “Lagos went to COP30 to demonstrate what true subnational leadership looks like. We are proving that African cities can build bankable climate solutions at scale—solutions that are inclusive, investable, and capable of transforming millions of lives. The world is looking for climate ambition backed by action, and Lagos is stepping forward with both.

    “Lagos’ active presence at COP30 strengthened global partnerships, deepened investor confidence, and positioned the State as a model for how African cities can translate climate vision into bankable, people-centred projects,” she said.

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    Oshodi also disclosed that “The Lagos Private Roundtable, themed Financing Urban Climate Solutions for a Just and Inclusive Transition, brought together development finance institutions, philanthropic organizations, and private-sector investors.

    “Discussions focused on co-financing pathways, de-risking instruments, and innovative financing structures that can scale Lagos’ green investments.

    “Key investment outcomes from Lagos’ COP30 participation include commitments to advance feasibility and financing discussions for clean cooking projects, interest in co-developing e-mobility pilot corridors with private investors, and exploratory talks with international partners on green bond issuances under the Lagos Climate Finance Framework.”

    The Africa Innovation Forum, co-curated by OCCE and Climate Action, spotlighted Lagos as a leading voice among African cities advancing climate innovation. Panelists, including Special Adviser on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Mrs. Titi Oshodi; Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr. Abimbola Akinajo, President and CEO of Oando Clean Energy, Demola Ogunbanjo, and Senior Manager, Climate Business Department at International Finance Corporation, Diep Nguyen-van Houtte, shared insights on subnational financing of State-Determined Contributions (SDCs) and the emerging role of African cities as investment-ready climate champions. The panel was moderated, Climate Entrepreneurship & Ecosystems, Climate KIC, Christian Daube.

    At the Dealroom Session, Lagos connected its ambitious project pipeline to global investors and development partners. The session generated strong expressions of interest from financiers focused on scalable clean energy and circular economy solutions.

    Under the visionary leadership of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, Lagos continues to set the pace for African cities in aligning climate ambition with investment readiness. Speaking after the sessions, Mrs. Titi Oshodi, Special Adviser to the Governor on Climate Change and Circular Economy, emphasised Lagos’ role as a pioneer in Africa’s just transition movement.

  • COP30: The way forward

    COP30: The way forward

    I was at the first Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Convention on Climate Change in Berlin in 1995. I was then ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. It just happened that I was privy to the policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1995 after I had served as one of the two special advisers to the honourable minister of foreign affairs. Our delegation was led by the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works. It included myself as Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, our representative in the Organization of Petroleum Producing Countries (OPEC,) one or two civil servants from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA). This conference in Berlin was sequel to the first Earth Conference held in Rio de Janeiro Brazil in 1992. It was the first Earth conference which attracted the attention of the whole world to the dire situation of the world to the problem of environmental abuse and climate change and the need to reverse the degradation of the environment if humankind was to survive at all.

    After  Rio de Janeiro were to follow series of COP now numbering 30 again holding in Brazil  because of the importance of the Amazon forest mainly in Brazil as the global lungs, destruction of which may pose existential problems to humanity. The Earth conference was a natural progression from the Gro Harlo Brundtland’s commission. The commission was set up and known as the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)  set up in 1983 and reported in 1987 raising the issue of sustainable development, that is to say, balancing the issue of development and environment. Gro Harlem Brundtland was a prominent Norwegian politician and physician who headed a UN commission which first raised in a systemic way that resources were not infinite and that for the world to remain viable and liveable, mankind must try to grow and develop without harming the environment unlike the slash and burn agricultural production and natural resources consumption the world was guilty of since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. The Brundtland report became a sing song in international environmental consciousness preceding the Earth Conference of 1992.

    Later, the emphasis shifted to climate change by 1995 which embraced larger subject than the issue of sustainability alone. I again was part of the Nigerian delegation to COP 15 which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009. Over the years, the COP conferences had become more or less an annual jamboree holding in many places all over the continents of the world. The recurring issues were the sharp divisions between the global industrial North and the underdeveloped South, between the large countries and the threatened island countries; between those who were responsible for global pollution while developing and the undeveloped south which logically argued that those responsible for damaging the environment should pay for its cleaning on the principle of “polluter pays“ and on the unmet pledges of capital to be transferred to those who  are underdeveloped so that they  do not go along the polluting trajectory as the developed. 

    There is also the question of the amount to be transferred from the developed to the under developed. There is also the division between carbon resources-rich countries and those who do not have gas, carbon and petroleum and are still undeveloped and, finally, between technological innovators and others not able to manufacture products in which energy was needed in their production.

    Now let me go back to the beginning of COP 1. It was at the Berlin conference that the permanent headquarters of the commission was determined. The German government had gotten in touch with me soliciting our vote if nominated. By that time, German companies were involved in the building of our Aluminium complex in Ikosi Abasi, among other projects which included our electricity, telecommunications and railways and motor vehicles assembly in Enugu and Lagos. I made their request known to my minister, General Ike Nwachukwu who authorized our voting for Germany. I did not only nominate Bonn which would be most attractive for housing when the federal capital would have moved to Berlin, I also campaigned for Germany. When we voted, even the Americans who wanted Geneva could not carry the day. I have followed the movement for environmental abatement since 1995. I even formed an NGO named “Nigerian Environmental Protection Society” to make environmental awareness common knowledge in Nigeria. We had annual conferences focusing on the intelligentsia and we published our proceedings which were widely distributed to the media and the universities. Unfortunately the passion seemed to have waned after leaving the university.

    One of the greatest blows to the global campaign for environmental rehabilitation to ensure that we reverse the global warming to just 1.5% above the pre industrial level was the lukewarm attitude of the conservative elements in the USA and Western Europe and now the USA under Donald Trump has dismissed the whole campaign as a hoax and fraud and this presumably is the policy of the ruling Republican Party. This is in spite of international agreement signed in 1997 at the end of COP3 in Kyoto when an understanding by the international community led to agreed limits by industrialised countries of the amount each country was committed to while the developing countries were to make lesser commitments about their greenhouse gases emissions.to reverse global warming to pre-industrial level even though not legally enforceable. The non-actionable Kyoto agreement was made enforceable in COP21 in Paris in 2015. These two international agreements have been torn into pieces by President Trump because he has said the agreements were against the interest of the United States. He has gone further by denouncing the agreements as a fraud and hoax and said global warming was natural occurrence which will remedy itself. His lapdogs have even disputed the scientific basis of global warming.

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    This does not mean that the struggle is in vain. It is just delayed. This is because in the normal cycle of American politics, Trump and his Republican Party will be defeated electorally. Secondly, the sub national entities, the states and big cities in the USA are committed to policy of environmental enhancement and many of the polluting industrial giants like the automobile manufacturers are committed to it and are producing electric cars and trucks that are emitting less carbon dioxide. Thirdly, China the biggest polluters are producing more green renewable products like vehicles and solar roofs that get their heat from the sun. There are researches into other sources of power like tidal waves, burning methane which apart from carbon gases contributes to global warming. There are great strides in harnessing hydrogen and hydro power from natural falls and dams.

    In spite what some national governments may say and do, some countries are even cutting down on their cattle since it has been proved that cows emit methane, a greenhouse gas which is responsible for 9% of gas responsible for global warming. The campaign against global warming has become personal in civilized countries that are moving away from conspicuous consumption to responsible sustainable development. Despite all the positive progress in the campaign there are still great obstacles.

    From a personal experience, Nigeria like most members of OPEC will not support policies that will suddenly make their economies that are energy export dependent go down the drain by an international agreement that dismisses their concern. This was my personal experience in two COPs I have attended. There is a powerful OPEC lobby at every Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change. The way to bring all nations into responsible climate policy is to share experiences and knowledge and innovation with all countries so that they are on the same plane.

    The current COP30 is deadlocked on who to contribute the one trillion dollars that is to be put in a special facility to fight global warming and if possible reverse environmental pollution with the application of abatement measures that all nations, small or big, islands that are sinking through no fault of theirs, developed and under developed countries can jointly embrace in the common cause.

    I sympathize with our Third World nations who argue on the grounds that those who were responsible ab initio for the problem should carry the can. However, we should make progress through shared and incremental gradation in payment so that no country should be put off though finger pointing. Nobody will be safe in a situation of global homicide if we don’t change our ways and collectively face and solve the problem of present and past pollution resulting into current climate change. The signs are clear because we now have overwhelming heat and cold, unseasonably excessive rainfall causing flooding, unusual heat and dryness causing bushfires, challenging changes causing a threat to biodiversity and rising heat in our oceans and melting icecaps in the North and South poles leading among other things, to unmanageable rise in our oceans and loss of habitats for small islands populations.

    I hope that COP 30 will focus on the climate change problem and not take on board issues that deviate from the main issues. The moment ideological issues of eradication of poverty, status of women just to mention a few non-climate issues that divert attention from the primary concerns; we should know diversions from core issues will undermine seriously the non-ideological question of the climate.

  • COP30: Nigeria urges boost in global finance to restore nature’s economic value

    COP30: Nigeria urges boost in global finance to restore nature’s economic value

    Nigeria has called on world leaders to significantly scale up global financing for the protection and restoration of nature, warning that without urgent and equitable funding mechanisms, the planet’s most vital ecosystems will continue to deteriorate at devastating human and economic costs.

    Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, made the call on Thursday during a high-level thematic session titled “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans.”

    Shettima, who reaffirmed Nigeria’s leading role in Africa’s green transition efforts, said the country is integrating nature-positive investments into its climate finance system, targeting up to $3 billion annually to drive reforestation, blue carbon, and sustainable agriculture projects.

    “Through our National Carbon Market Framework and Climate Change Fund, we aim to mobilise up to three billion US dollars annually in climate finance. These resources will be reinvested in community-led reforestation, blue carbon projects, and sustainable agriculture,” he said.

    According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima urged developed nations to match rhetoric with action by delivering predictable, equitable, and accessible financing that reflects the economic value of nature.

    The Vice President lamented that while countries in the Global South have contributed the least to global warming, they continue to bear its harshest consequences.

    “Those who have benefited the most from centuries of extraction must now lead in restoration,” Shettima stated, stressing that true climate justice requires developed economies to champion grant-based financing, operationalise blue carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and support debt-for-nature swaps that allow developing nations to invest in conservation.

    Read Also: Nigeria emerges West Africa’s climate leader, eyes investment gains at COP30

    He further called on the global community to empower indigenous peoples, farmers, and fisherfolk who safeguard ecosystems, ensuring that they are “rewarded for their stewardship rather than displaced by it.”

    Highlighting Nigeria’s ongoing initiatives, Shettima said the government is “taking bold, coordinated steps to restore balance between climate, nature, and development.”

    He listed the implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative, which is re-foresting degraded lands across eleven frontline states, planting over 10 million trees, and creating thousands of green jobs for youth and women.

    Additionally, under Nigeria’s National Afforestation Programme and Forest Landscape Restoration Plan, the country aims to restore over two million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

    Shettima also noted the recent launch of Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy Policy, designed to harness the potential of the nation’s seas sustainably through climate-smart fisheries, coastal protection, and marine biodiversity conservation.

    “Our National Council on Climate Change provides the institutional backbone for integrating climate action into all sectors of governance. We are working to ensure that climate action becomes synonymous with nature restoration and human prosperity”, he said.

    Rejecting what he termed “an outdated narrative of Africa as a mere victim of climate change,” the Vice President emphasised that the continent remains a critical part of the global solution.

    “Africa’s rainforests, mangroves, peatlands, and oceans are among the planet’s largest untapped carbon sinks, while our young population is the world’s greatest untapped source of innovation and resolve,” Shettima asserted.

    He declared that COP30 must mark the beginning of a new global compact that recognises Africa’s ecosystems as assets deserving of global investment and protection.

    “We invite all partners to join Nigeria and the African Union in advancing the African Nature Finance Framework, designed to unlock private capital for reforestation, ecosystem restoration, and blue economy development across the continent,” he said.

    Shettima warned that countries that neglect their forests and oceans often pay a steep price through ecological instability and conflict. 

    He cited deforestation, desertification, illegal mining, and coastal erosion as urgent threats within Nigeria, with the Sahara advancing nearly one kilometre annually, displacing communities and eroding livelihoods.

    “Each piece of land these threats overcome invites conflict into human lives, compounding our development challenges,” he cautioned.

    Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to global collaboration, Shettima said the nation will continue to “sit in the front row” of any international effort aimed at restoring the planet’s ecological balance.

    “Nigeria believes that COP30 must go beyond pledges — it must represent a turning point where climate action becomes a shared duty to protect nature and secure prosperity for all,” he said.

  • Nigeria emerges West Africa’s climate leader, eyes investment gains at COP30

    Nigeria emerges West Africa’s climate leader, eyes investment gains at COP30

    Nigeria has taken the lead in West Africa’s climate action drive with the submission of its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), positioning the country for fresh global partnerships and investments at the ongoing COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil.

    Vice President Kashim Shettima is expected to unveil Nigeria’s green transition roadmap before world leaders, articulating the country’s strategy to convert climate commitments into actionable projects that attract financing and technology.

    Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Mrs. Tenioye Majekodunmi, announced Nigeria’s milestone in an interview with journalists ahead of the COP30 opening session. 

    She noted that Nigeria’s early submission of its NDC 3.0 makes it the first West African nation to do so and “a continental frontrunner in climate ambition and readiness.”

    According to a statement on Thursday by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Majekodunmi said “this is the implementation COP we’ve all been waiting for. For Nigeria, the submission of our NDC 3.0 marks a turning point. It’s time to move from paper to projects”.

    She disclosed that the Federal Government’s recent approval of a National Carbon Market Framework and operationalisation of the National Climate Change Fund would further boost investor confidence, signalling that “Nigeria is open for high-integrity carbon investments delivering real mitigation and community benefits.”

    According to her, the Belem summit provides a unique “global matchmaking platform” for Nigeria to showcase its readiness for sustainable climate financing. 

    She also revealed that Nigeria will use COP30 to strengthen South–South cooperation on climate matters, particularly through collaboration among the Amazon, Congo, and Guinea forest regions.

    In her words: “Being in the Amazon for this summit represents a symbolic convergence of forest regions. The dialogue between Brazil, the Congo Basin, and West Africa is critical to advancing global forest protection and the Belem agenda.”

    Read Also: Discussions from COP30 can turn emission cuts into tangible value – Netzence

    Also speaking, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Mr. Stanley Nkwocha, said Nigeria’s participation at COP30 underscores President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate action.

    “For Nigeria, it’s not just about attendance; it’s about demonstrating leadership and implementing Article 13 of the Paris Accord on transparency and climate responsibility,” Nkwocha stated, adding that Nigeria remains firmly committed to achieving a 32 per cent reduction in emissions by 2035.

    Vice President Shettima will join global leaders, development partners, and investors in high-level sessions on “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans” and will deliver Nigeria’s national climate action address at the leaders’ plenary later this week.

  • Discussions from COP30 can turn emission cuts into tangible value – Netzence

    Discussions from COP30 can turn emission cuts into tangible value – Netzence

    Netzence Sustainability Limited has said that the conversation at the forthcoming 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP30, scheduled for November 2025 can turn emission cuts into tangible value.

    The new carbon-market architecture can turn tonnes of emissions-reduced into tangible value for companies, communities and the country.

    Chief Operations Officer of Netzence, Idia Ogedegbe, in a statement, said the organisation intends to transform Nigeria’s climate potential into measurable, monetised performance.

    The statement reads: “For Africa’s largest economy, this is not just another conference. It is a moment to redefine how Nigeria turns climate challenges into economic advantage. Nigeria’s economy loses an estimated US$6 billion annually to air pollution, energy inefficiency and unsustainable production practices — yet this same crisis hides one of the continent’s most promising investment frontiers: climate technology and carbon finance.

    “In a decisive policy shift, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed off on the country’s National Carbon Market Framework and activated the national Climate Change Fund, officially positioning Nigeria to participate in the global carbon economy and unlock up to US$2.5-3 billion annually in carbon finance. 

    “Against this backdrop, Netzence Sustainability Limited is aligning its strategy to the new policy paradigm. Netzence’s flagship platform, CloseCarbon, is pioneering how African businesses track, verify and trade their emissions reductions in real-time — utilising artificial intelligence and an embedded architecture. What was once “just good for the planet” is now becoming a tradable, investable asset class.

    “By converting cleaner energy use, waste-reduction and methane abatement into verified credits, Netzence is unlocking a new form of climate-wealth. These credits don’t just reduce emissions; they fund schools, power local jobs, create sustainable income channels across communities.

    “COP30 thus represents a decisive turning point. Countries are expected to present more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) backed by transparent data and credible financing. For Nigeria, this is an opportunity to showcase not only commitment but innovation: from gas-flare reduction and green mobility to the emerging carbon-credit infrastructure built on technology and accountability.

    Read Also: Lagos to showcase climate leadership at COP30

    “Netzence’s presence at COP30 signals more than attendance — it signals readiness. Readiness to collaborate with governments, corporations and global financiers in scaling verifiable emission-reduction projects that feed into both environmental and economic goals.

    “As global finance discussions shift from pledges to performance, investors are demanding clarity, traceability and measurable impact. Netzence’s data-driven systems are bridging that trust gap — offering the kind of transparency international investors now insist on.

    “From climate-smart transportation under its e-mobility initiative to methane monitoring in agriculture and waste-management, Netzence is demonstrating how sustainability can be both scalable and profitable.

    “COP30 is not just a diplomatic milestone; it’s a market moment. For investors watching Africa, it marks the rise of a new value chain — where cleaner air, smarter cities and verified climate data become the continent’s next billion-dollar industries.”

  • Lagos to showcase climate leadership at COP30

    Lagos to showcase climate leadership at COP30

    The Lagos State Government, through the Office of Special Adviser on Climate Change and Circular Economy (OCCE), has announced participation at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil, with a strong spotlight on the 80 million Clean Cookstoves (CCS) and four billion Tree Planting Project, the world’s largest UNFCCC Article 6.4-approved clean energy and reforestation initiative.

    As part of its global climate leadership agenda, Lagos will feature prominently at the Climate Innovation Zone, hosted by the Climate Action, the official business and investment partner platform of COP.

    This strategic collaboration positions Lagos among a select group of African subnational governments demonstrating actionable climate leadership, sustainable urban transition, and investment-ready solutions.

    The plan of the Lagos State Government for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil was disclosed by the Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Mrs Titi Oshodi.

    She disclosed the 80 million Clean Cookstoves Initiative, developed by GreenPlinth Africa, endorsed by the Office of the Vice President and the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) in partnership with Oando Clean Energy, is a flagship demonstration of Lagos’ role in accelerating Africa’s green transition.

    Oshodi said the project aims to deploy 80 million metered, biomass-powered cookstoves to households across Nigeria, reducing over 1.2 billion tonnes of CO₂e emissions, improving health outcomes, and creating thousands of green jobs across the value chain.

    She said: “Lagos is championing the new face of Africa’s climate ambition—where innovation meets implementation. Our participation at COP30 is about demonstrating how subnational leadership can unlock global climate finance, scale clean energy access, and deliver a just, inclusive transition for millions.

    “This initiative reflects the visionary leadership of His Excellency, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, whose administration has prioritised climate action, resilience, and sustainable urban development as central pillars of Lagos’ long-term growth agenda.

    “Through its engagements at COP30, Lagos aims to spotlight its integrated climate finance framework while showcasing flagship initiatives across clean energy, transport decarbonisation, agriculture, and circular economy innovation.”

    Read Also: Shettima heads to Brazil for COP30

    Oshodi stressed further that “Key Highlights of Lagos’ COP30 Engagements will include a Private Roundtable on “From Lagos to the World – Financing Urban Climate Solutions for a Just and Inclusive Transition” on November 6. This high-level session, headlined by His Excellency, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, will convene development finance institutions (DFIs), global investors, and international policymakers to explore new models for financing city-led climate initiatives.

    “The session will also feature a showcase of Lagos’ flagship climate projects from LAMATA presenting low-carbon transport and sustainable mobility frameworks and LASPA presenting solutions that will help Lagos to drive the transition to electric vehicles. The agency is building infrastructure for electric vehicle charging points.

    “The Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems will highlight nature-based and agroforestry solutions. Oando Clean Energy will share private-sector-led innovation in clean energy transition, while GreenPlinth Africa will spotlight the 80 Million Clean Cookstoves initiative and its global carbon finance potential.”

    Oshodi stressed further that Lagos, during the Africa Innovation Forum Main Stage Panel on November 7, “will take the global stage alongside other leading climate finance experts and private sector partners to share its model for climate financing, energy transition, and local-global collaboration, positioning the state as a reference point for urban climate leadership in Africa.”

    “During the Climate Implementation Summit on November 8, Lagos will participate and showcase the 80 Million Clean Cookstoves Initiative—the first biomass clean cooking program in the world to integrate on-chain Digital MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) technology. This inclusion highlights Nigeria’s pioneering role in leveraging climate tech to deliver measurable emission reductions and social co-benefits.

    “There will also be a Dealroom Session with DFIs, Funders and Technical Partners on November 8 on ‘Bridging Ambition and Capital: Financing Bankable African Climate Solutions’. This private dealroom convenes DFIs (AfDB, IFC, GCF, FMO), private investors, and carbon financiers to unlock capital and de-risk investment into high-impact projects such as the 80M CCS and Lagos’ climate-smart urban portfolio.

    “Through these engagements, Lagos will cement its position as a continental leader in climate innovation, advancing projects that directly contribute to global emission reduction targets while driving inclusive growth and resilience across Nigeria.”

  • COP30 and Niger’s turn to shine on climate action

    COP30 and Niger’s turn to shine on climate action

    By Abdulsalam Mahmud,

    Across the world today, governments are recalibrating their economies to fit a green and sustainable future. From Brazil’s vast reforestation drive in the Amazon to Morocco’s solar revolution in Ouarzazate, nations are realizing that the path to prosperity now runs through the low-carbon economy.

    The green transition has become more than an environmental necessity; it is the new global economy in the making — one that rewards innovation, resilience and foresight. For Africa, this transition is both an urgent challenge and a rare opportunity.

    As the continent most vulnerable to climate change, Africa stands to lose the most from inaction. Yet, it also possesses immense natural capital — sunlight, land, biodiversity and youthful human potential — that can power a sustainable transformation. Countries that act early and boldly will not only build resilience but also attract the finance, partnerships and technologies shaping the next century.

    It is in this global context that Niger State, under the leadership of its farmer governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has chosen to define its future differently. Over the last two years, the state has pursued one of the most ambitious subnational green economy transformations in Nigeria’s history.

    By linking local realities with global climate ambitions, Niger State is steadily positioning itself as the country’s hub for climate-smart agriculture, clean energy and green industrial development. Governor Bago’s administration began by recognizing an undeniable truth — that climate change is not just an environmental issue but an economic one.

    Desertification, flooding and deforestation have long undermined livelihoods across the state. To confront these threats, Niger State launched its “Green Economy Blueprint”, an integrated strategy designed to build resilience while creating green jobs and sustainable prosperity. From that moment, the state’s engagement with the world deepened.

    At COP28 in Dubai, the state presented its blueprint before international partners, and by COP29 in Baku, it had become a recognizable name in subnational climate leadership. These appearances were not symbolic. They yielded partnerships that have since defined the core of Niger State’s transition agenda.

    One of the most transformative was the Memorandum of Understanding with Blue Carbon, a UAE-based company committed to developing sustainable climate solutions. The agreement to plant one billion economic trees across one million hectares in Niger State stands as one of the largest private–public reforestation programmes on the African continent.

    Beyond ecological restoration, the initiative promises rural employment, carbon credit generation and long-term economic dividends from timber, fruit and non-timber forest products. Equally significant was the partnership with FutureCamp Germany, a globally renowned firm in carbon markets. This collaboration aims to unlock over N1 trillion in climate investments and build the technical framework for Niger State’s carbon market activation.

    For a subnational entity, this is pioneering work — one that could see the state emerge as the first Nigerian state to fully participate in voluntary carbon trading, attracting new revenue streams while promoting transparency in climate finance. The MoU with the NNPC Limited extends Niger’s climate action to the energy frontier.

    It covers a suite of renewable and low-carbon projects, including a Greenfield hydroelectric power plant, mega solar parks for institutions and home solar systems targeting 250,000 households. The agreement also envisions an ethanol plant capable of producing 500 million litres annually, powered by crops cultivated across 100,000 hectares — a project that will create value chains, empower farmers and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

    Meanwhile, the collaboration with ECOWAS Bank for Development and Environment for an $11 million Madalla Green Economic Market promises to turn commerce itself into a model of sustainability — blending trade, recycling and renewable energy in one modern ecosystem. Similarly, Niger’s partnership with the Turkish firm, Direkci Camp is reshaping agribusiness through smart agriculture, irrigated soya cultivation and export-oriented value chains.

    These developments are not isolated. They are coordinated through the Niger State Agency for Green Initiatives (NG-SAGI) — the institutional anchor established two years ago, and now led by Dr. Habila Daniel Galadima. Beyond doubt, NG-SAGI is more than a bureaucracy; it is a policy engine designed to harmonize the state’s environmental, agricultural and energy programmes into one coherent climate resilience framework.

    Under this framework, Niger hosted Nigeria’s first-ever subnational Green Economy Summit in 2023, attracting investors and development partners from across the globe. The summit’s outcomes validated the governor’s approach: local action can be globally relevant if guided by clear vision and credible governance. The pledges and partnerships secured there continue to serve as foundations for current projects — from afforestation to renewable energy and sustainable agriculture.

    Another milestone was the creation of the Niger State Agriculture Development Fund with a N3.5 billion start-up capital from the state and local governments. The fund is enabling 1,000 young farmers to access grants of N1 million each, alongside hectares of land for nurseries across all 25 local governments. This initiative has quietly triggered an agricultural mechanization revolution, empowering a new generation to see farming as business — and sustainability as strategy.

    Partnerships with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Energy Commission of Nigeria, and the Global World Energy Council are driving new frontiers in wind energy and industrial de-carbonization. Niger’s growing alignment with the UNIDO is already yielding plans for circular economy models within the agro-processing free trade zone, blending job creation with environmental responsibility.

    And while some of these projects are at different stages of implementation, the direction is unmistakable: Niger State is building a green identity anchored on innovation, inclusion and international collaboration. Even modest steps, like the installation of solar-powered streetlights across Minna, tell a larger story — one of a government deliberately moving toward a future powered by clean energy and driven by public safety and climate consciousness.

    Read Also: Renaming Nigeria

    As the world prepares for COP30 in Brazil next month, Niger State’s delegation is expected to present these achievements not as isolated efforts, but as part of a coherent subnational climate narrative. It will highlight how a state, once challenged by deforestation and poverty, is now leading a structured march toward carbon neutrality and green prosperity.

    The focus this time will be on climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy expansion, youth inclusion, and green finance innovation — key pillars that align with the global call for just and equitable transitions. At COP30, Niger’s voice will also speak for Nigeria’s broader subnational climate movement — demonstrating how state-level leadership can accelerate the nation’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.

    The lessons from Niger are clear: climate action must be localized, data-driven and economically beneficial. Beyond the conference halls of Brazil, Niger’s agenda carries deep human meaning. Every hectare reforested, every solar panel installed, every youth trained in sustainable agriculture is a statement of faith in a liveable future.

    Climate action here is not an abstract ambition; it is a lived policy that transforms communities, restores hope and redefines governance as stewardship. If properly amplified, Niger’s story could inspire other states to see climate change not as a threat but as an opportunity — a chance to create industries, attract green finance and protect generations unborn.

    That is the broader promise Governor Bago’s vision now represents: that sustainability is not an aspiration for rich nations alone, but a shared moral and developmental duty for all.

    As COP30 draws near, Niger’s turn to shine on climate action is not just about showcasing progress; it is about reinforcing possibility.

    For a state once defined by its rivers and farmlands, the journey toward a green economy may well become its most enduring legacy — one that proves that in Africa’s heartland, the seeds of a sustainable future are already being sown.

    •Mahmud, a rapporteur at the maiden Niger State Green Economy Summit, writes via: babasalam1989@gmail.com.

  • Maiduguri’s floods, Belém’s forests: Nigeria’s climate test at COP30

    Maiduguri’s floods, Belém’s forests: Nigeria’s climate test at COP30

    By Abdullah Adeyanju Binuyo

    When world leaders gather in Belém, Brazil this November for COP30, history will be made. For the first time, the UN climate summit will take place in the Amazon, the lungs of our planet and home to one in ten known species. 

    Belém is not a backdrop but a statement. The Amazon is where the fight for climate stability may be won or lost.

    For Nigeria, Belém is a mirror. The Amazon is to Brazil what mangroves, savannas, and deltas are to Nigeria: ecosystems of immense value but under relentless threat from short term economics and weak governance. The parallels are striking. 

    In Brazil, deforestation advances despite global concern. In Nigeria, climate disasters are already here.

    Maiduguri’s flooding, triggered by the Alau Dam overspill and worsened by ignored warnings, buried homes and livelihoods. Alongside the nationwide floods of 2022 that displaced more than a million people, these events show how fragile ecosystems and fragile governance combine to devastating effect.

    The Climate Change Act of 2021 was meant to close this gap. Hailed as Nigeria’s climate constitution, it created the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) to coordinate ministries, set carbon budgets, and guide Nigeria’s 2060 net zero pledge. 

    Yet four years later, the Council is remembered less for leadership than for absence. Absence of continuity, absence of budgetary stability, and absence of integration across sectors. The gap between ambition and action mirrors the gap between bold declarations and submerged communities in Borno State.

    Into this vacuum steps Temi Majekodunmi, the newly appointed Director General of the NCCC. An expert in climate finance, she inherits a fractured institution. Her task is formidable: restore credibility to Nigeria’s climate governance and present a coherent agenda at COP30. 

    The urgency is not abstract. It is written in the floods of Maiduguri, the dunes of the north, the collapsing coastlines of the south, and the fragile infrastructure tested by every storm.

    The Act was ambitious, mandating carbon budgets, a Climate Change Fund, and alignment with the Energy Transition Plan. But instability derailed it. Three leadership changes created confusion, and the statutory Council meeting has never been convened.

    Ministries pushed conflicting agendas: one advancing gas monetization, another renewable energy targets, another struggling with adaptation. The crisis deepened in December 2023 when the Budget Office misclassified the Council and cut its federal allocation. 

    Climate governance was sacrificed to short term priorities, influenced by political settlement theory, just as the United States once exited the Paris Agreement, yielding to the consensus of the elite. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, unveiled in 2022 with global acclaim and requiring ten billion dollars annually, remains without financing.

    These shortcomings carry immense stakes because Nigeria is not marginal in the climate story. It is both vulnerable and strategically central. Advancing desertification in the north drives migration and insecurity, testing the absorptive capacities of forced host communities. 

    Erratic rainfall in the central belt undermines food production. Rising seas threaten southern cities and oil infrastructure. In the Niger Delta, saltwater intrusion and floods displace entire communities. Climate change in Nigeria is not a distant prospect but a daily crisis.

    This is why Majekodunmi’s appointment carries such weight. Her role is less about technical detail and more about influence, securing presidential attention, negotiating budgets, and pushing climate action across government.

    Nigeria’s problem is not ambition but execution: the ability to turn pledges into bankable projects, attract finance, and deliver resources where needed. She must restore credibility by convening overdue meetings, reconciling overlapping legal frameworks, and building financial pathways that unlock domestic and global funds. Without these shifts, Nigeria will keep producing polished but hollow climate plans while droughts, floods, and displacement intensify.

    Belém itself offers both caution and opportunity. Brazil’s proposed Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a 125 billion dollar plan to reward forest conservation, could reshape climate finance. Nigeria should pay attention. Its mangroves, savannas, and forests are also vital carbon sinks yet remain undervalued. 

    If Brazil can mobilize billions for the Amazon, Nigeria must design similar mechanisms for its ecosystems. But contradictions persist.

    Brazil promotes climate leadership while expanding oil drilling. Nigeria mirrors this paradox, promoting gas as a transitional fuel while pledging net zero. The answer is not concealment but transparency, channeling hydrocarbon revenues into renewables, adaptation, and resilience while aligning strategies with global sustainability.

    What Nigeria needs is not piecemeal fixes but a Governance for Sustainability Reform Framework. This must embed climate considerations into development planning, compel ministries to align under the Council’s authority, tie federal allocations to climate responsive budgeting, strengthen accountability across all levels, and ensure civil society, private sector, women, and youth have a voice. Such reforms would make Nigeria a credible partner capable of attracting finance, building resilience, and restoring trust.

    COP30 will test Nigeria’s credibility. For too long, the country has been present at summits but absent in delivery. The world now expects evidence: restored funding for the NCCC, progress on the Energy Transition Plan, and clear mechanisms for adaptation finance.

    Belém could be a turning point, but only if Nigeria arrives not as a petitioner but as a leader of the Global South, demanding financiers honor their pledges while proving that its own institutions can absorb and deploy funds effectively.

    If COP30 is remembered as the Amazon COP, Nigeria must ensure it is also remembered as the summit where Africa’s largest economy reclaimed its climate credibility. The Amazon may provide the lungs of the Earth, but Nigeria must show it has the political will and institutional muscle to protect its people. The floods of Maiduguri and the overspill of the Alau Dam remind us that climate change is not theory but a lived national emergency.

    As the world counts down to Belém, Nigeria counts down too, not just to a summit but to a test of whether its new climate captain can steady the ship and chart a course from vulnerability to resilience.

    Dr. Adeyanju Binuyo, (adeyanju@teranpico.com), a techpreneur, strategist, and expert in climate and sustainable development, writes in from Abuja.