President Bola Tinubu has called on world leaders to show unity, courage, and consistent commitment in tackling the escalating global climate crisis.
Speaking yesterday during a high-level virtual dialogue on climate and the just transition, Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to driving a new approach in which climate action and economic growth progress hand in hand, rather than in conflict.
“The globital climate emergency demands our collective, courageous, and sustained leadership. For Nigeria, the urgency of this moment is clear: we view climate action not as a cost to development, but as a strategic imperative”, said Tinubu.
The meeting, co-hosted by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, sought to accelerate global climate ambition ahead of COP30, which Brazil is set to host.
Leaders from 17 countries, including China, the European Union, climate-vulnerable nations, and key regional blocs such as the African Union, ASEAN, and the Alliance of Small Island States, took part in the meeting.
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The leaders sent a clear message: climate action is advancing at full speed.
Addressing the session from Abuja, President Tinubu outlined Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP) as a bold and pragmatic roadmap for achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.
The ETP targets five key sectors—power, cooking, transport, oil and gas, and industry—and estimates a financing requirement of over $410 billion by 2060 to realise these objectives.
“We are, therefore, in the process of 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”, he said.
He emphasised Nigeria’s role as an anchor country in the Mission 300 initiative, implemented in partnership with the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
The initiative aims to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
He recalled his participation in the Dar es Salaam Declaration earlier this year, as well as Nigeria’s presentation of its National Energy Compact, which sets out reform commitments, investment opportunities, and measurable targets to expand access to clean energy and clean cooking solutions.
“This compact is among the first of its kind in Africa and lays out our policy reform commitments and specific investment opportunities in the energy sector. It sets quantifiable targets to grow electricity access and increase clean cooking penetration.
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“We are working to build capacity and ensure that we meet these targets, reflecting not just our ambition but also our commitment to deliver on that ambition measurably,” he said.
As part of the broader energy reform framework, President Tinubu announced the finalisation of the Nigeria Carbon Market Activation Policy in March 2025.
This policy is expected to unlock up to $2.5 billion by 2030 through high-integrity carbon credits and related investments.
He revealed that Nigeria is actively updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with a comprehensive revision scheduled for presentation by September 2025.
“Our climate strategy extends beyond planning and regulation — it is also firmly grounded in market reform. We are working to position Nigeria as a leading destination for climate-smart investment through the establishment of a Global Climate Change Investment Fund, which will serve as a platform to blend public and private capital, de-risk green infrastructure, and finance clean energy solutions at scale,” he said.
The fund will support key national priorities such as green industrial hubs, e-mobility infrastructure, regenerative agriculture, and renewable energy mini-grids for underserved communities.
President Tinubu appreciated international partners, particularly the United Nations and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), for their advisory and technical support.
“These partnerships are a shining example of the value of multilateral cooperation in climate action. We are ready to collaborate, lead, and deliver — because we understand that the time for climate action is not tomorrow; it is now,” he said.
