President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on world leaders to brace for an urgent and united action on climate change.
He said the time for action is not tomorrow but now.
Tinubu spoke in Abuja during a high-level virtual dialogue on climate and the just transition.
The meeting was co-hosted by United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, and Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
President Tinubu laid out Nigeria’s ambitious agenda for sustainable development and clean energy transition.
The virtual meeting, aimed at accelerating climate ambition ahead of COP30 in Brazil, brought together leaders from 17 nations and key regional blocs, including the European Union, China, the African Union, ASEAN, and the Alliance of Small Island States.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu emphasized the critical importance of aligning climate action with economic growth, rejecting the notion that environmental responsibility must come at the cost of development.
“For Nigeria, the urgency of this moment is clear: we view climate action not as a cost to development, but as a strategic imperative. The global climate emergency demands our collective, courageous, and sustained leadership”, he declared.
Highlighting Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP), Tinubu presented it as a bold and pragmatic roadmap to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.
The plan targets five major sectors, power, cooking, transportation, oil and gas, and industry, and outlines a $410 billion financing need to realize these goals.
“We are aligning our regulatory environment, fiscal incentives, and institutional frameworks to ensure that energy access, decarbonisation, and economic competitiveness proceed in lockstep. We are also taking leadership on Energy Access”, the President said.
He pointed to Nigeria’s anchor role in the Mission 300 initiative, developed with the World Bank and African Development Bank, aimed at delivering electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
Tinubu also referenced Nigeria’s National Energy Compact, which sets clear reform goals and investment opportunities, particularly in clean energy access and cooking solutions.
“This compact is among the first of its kind in Africa, and reflects not just our ambition but our commitment to deliver on that ambition measurably”, he said.
In a major policy milestone, President Tinubu announced that Nigeria has finalized its Carbon Market Activation Policy as of March 2025, which aims to unlock up to $2.5 billion in carbon credit investments by 2030.
“This policy is a key component of our broader market reform strategy. Our climate strategy is not limited to planning and regulation — it is also rooted in market reform”, he noted.
To cement Nigeria’s climate leadership, Tinubu said the development of a Global Climate Change Investment Fund, which will blend public and private capital to de-risk green infrastructure and finance clean energy solutions at scale.
According to the President, the fund will focus on national priorities such as green industrial hubs, e-mobility infrastructure, regenerative agriculture, and renewable mini-grids for underserved communities.
He also announced that Nigeria is in the process of updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with a revised submission slated for September 2025.
Expressing gratitude to international partners, President Tinubu particularly commended the UN and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) for their support.
“These partnerships are a shining example of the value of multilateral cooperation in climate delivery. We are prepared to collaborate, lead, and deliver”, he said.
The President’s remarks come at a critical juncture in global climate discourse, as nations gear up for the pivotal COP30 summit in Brazil.
With climate impacts becoming increasingly severe, Nigeria’s leadership and actionable agenda have added fresh momentum to international efforts for a just and sustainable transition.
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