Nigeria has taken a leading role in West Africa’s climate action efforts after becoming the first country in the region to submit its updated Third Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ahead of the COP30 summit.
The move is expected to give the nation a competitive edge in attracting global climate funding and partnerships.
Vice President Kashim Shettima is expected to present Nigeria’s green transition roadmap to world leaders at the COP30 summit in Brazil. This roadmap outlines the country’s long term commitment to reducing emissions, strengthening resilience and expanding clean energy adoption across all sectors of the economy.
The Director General of the National Council on Climate Change Tenioye Majekodunmi said the timely submission of the NDC demonstrates Nigeria’s readiness to drive climate implementation. She described COP30 as the summit the world has been waiting for to move from pledges to action. Majekodunmi said, “With the submission of our NDC 3.0 being the first in West Africa, this is a turning point for Nigeria.”
According to her, one of the country’s major goals at COP30 is to transform its climate commitments into real opportunities. She stated that Nigeria will focus on turning the NDC deliverables into bankable projects capable of securing investments and pay for performance partnerships. “We must shift from paper to projects and COP30 is where Nigeria intends to do this,” she added.
Majekodunmi further revealed that recent government decisions have positioned the country for climate finance inflow. She highlighted the approval of the National Carbon Market Framework and the activation of the National Climate Change Fund as key steps signalling that Nigeria is ready for credible carbon investments that support emission reduction and community development.
She noted that with clear climate policies in place, Nigeria will be engaging bilateral partners, international donors and private sector investors to boost funding for renewable energy, carbon markets and resilience programmes. She emphasised that Nigeria is now “open for high integrity carbon investments which deliver real mitigation and community benefits”.