NIGERIA LEADS WEST AFRICA IN CLIMATE COMMITMENT, EYES INVESTMENT BOOST AT COP30

Nigeria has solidified its position as West Africa’s climate action leader after submitting the region’s first 3rd National Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Vice President Kashim Shettima is set to unveil Nigeria’s green transition roadmap at the COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil, aiming to transform climate commitments into concrete investment opportunities and projects.

In a statement, Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, emphasized Nigeria’s dedication to global climate goals. “For us as a country, it is not just about our participation at COP 30 in Belem, Brazil, but it shows clearly the President’s commitment to the 2016 Paris accord, to which Nigeria is a signatory, and ensuring that article 13 of that accord, which talks about climate change, is duly pursued and being implemented to the letter,” Nkwocha stated.

Director General of Nigeria’s National Council on Climate Change, Tenioye Majekodunmi, revealed Nigeria’s pioneering status in an interview ahead of the summit’s opening ceremony. Majekodunmi noted with delight that Nigeria’s early submission positions the country to leverage COP30 for substantial investment gains and partnerships. In a statement, she said, “This is particularly what we call the implementation COP that we have all been waiting for here in Belem, and we are very excited that it has come. COP 30 is particularly important for us in Nigeria because of the momentum that we have gathered in the last two months leading up to the summit. First with the submission of our NDC 3.0 and us being the first West African country to submit—this is a turning point for Nigeria.”

Majekodunmi highlighted three key takeaways for Nigeria at COP30. She explained that the summit would help turn deliverables in the NDC 3.0 into pipeline projects, partnerships, and pay-for-performance models. “We need to start turning from paper to projects, and COP 30 is where Nigeria would be doing this,” she added. Secondly, she pointed to Nigeria’s recent approval of the National Carbon Market Framework and operationalisation of the National Climate Change Fund, which signals to investors that Nigeria is open for high-integrity carbon investments. In a statement, Majekodunmi emphasized, “Belem gives us the right global matchmaking platform to be able to achieve this, and we are quite excited about what is going to happen.” Thirdly, she noted Nigeria’s aim to deepen South-South cooperation on climate change, particularly through forest protection initiatives with regions like the Amazon, Congo, and Guinea.

Nkwocha further outlined Nigeria’s emission reduction targets, confirming the country’s commitment to cutting emissions by 32 percent by 2035. He stated that Vice President Shettima would present Nigeria’s climate action address at the general plenary of leaders and participate in a high-level thematic session on “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans.” Nkwocha reiterated that Nigeria’s participation underscores its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Accord.