Climate Action: Nigeria Needs $337bn To Meet 2035 Emissions Target

The Federal Government has put Nigeria’s climate action financing needs at approximately $337 billion over the next decade, warning that achieving the country’s emissions-reduction targets and building resilience against climate change will require massive investments, stronger interministerial coordination and sustained international support.

The disclosure was made on Thursday in Abuja by the Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Dr. Omotenioye Majekodunmi, during the official launch and socialisation of Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0 (NDC 3.0) and the inauguration of the National Steering Committee for the implementation of NDC 3.0, the Net-Zero Investment Plan and Nigeria’s Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy.

Majekodunmi said Nigeria, under NDC 3.0, targets a 32 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 against its 2018 baseline, as part of its pathway towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.

She explained that the estimated $337 billion financing requirement comprises approximately $195 billion for mitigation and $141.5 billion for adaptation between 2026 and 2035, underscoring the scale of resources required to reduce emissions, strengthen vulnerable communities and protect the economy against climate-related threats.

The Director-General said the socialisation exercise was designed to familiarise relevant institutions and partners with the country’s climate commitments, strengthen implementation arrangements and align priority interventions with the financing, technology and expertise required to achieve the targets.

She stressed that Nigeria’s NDC 3.0 must be treated as a national development instrument rather than merely an environmental policy document, given the growing effects of flooding, extreme heat, coastal erosion and other climate-related disasters on livelihoods, infrastructure, food security and public services.

According to her, achieving the targets will require credible investment pipelines, effective public financing, access to concessional financing and international climate funds, as well as the mobilisation of private-sector capital.

She also called for stronger coordination among government institutions, state governments, businesses, civil society organisations and development partners to ensure that climate commitments are reflected in sectoral policies, budgets and implementation plans.

Majekodunmi said the National Steering Committee on NDC Implementation and Climate Action would provide strategic direction, coordinate responsibilities across ministries and agencies, mobilise financing and strengthen monitoring, reporting and accountability.

She identified the integration of climate priorities into national planning and budgeting, clarification of institutional responsibilities and tracking of implementation results as critical to achieving the country’s targets.

In his keynote address, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, said the national socialisation of NDC 3.0, the Net-Zero Investment Plan and the Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy offered an opportunity to align Nigeria’s climate ambitions with its economic development priorities.

He said the success of the instruments would depend on the government’s ability to establish effective financing arrangements, strengthen institutional capacity and ensure that climate considerations informed decisions on infrastructure, agriculture, energy, transportation and industrial development.

The SGF called on ministries, departments and agencies to incorporate their climate responsibilities into institutional work plans, budgets and investment decisions. He also urged state governments, the private sector, research institutions and civil society organisations to contribute to implementation.

He said the Net-Zero Investment Plan should help translate Nigeria’s long-term decarbonisation ambitions into credible investment opportunities capable of attracting public and private capital.

Akume added that the country’s transition to a low-emissions economy must remain inclusive, protect vulnerable communities and support affordable energy, employment generation, industrial growth and improved living standards.

Also speaking, the European Union’s Head of Section for Digital and Green Economy, Yolanda San Jose, reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s climate action through technical assistance, capacity development, policy cooperation and investment mobilisation.

She said Nigeria’s NDC 3.0 targets a 29 per cent reduction in absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and a 32 per cent reduction by 2035, relative to the 2018 baseline. She added that 20 per cent of the target was expected to be achieved through domestic resources, while the remaining 80 per cent depended on international climate finance and technical support.

San Jose said the EU had supported the revision of Nigeria’s climate commitments, the inclusion of the waste sector as a priority area and efforts to integrate circular economy approaches into the country’s climate policies.

She added that the EU had also supported capacity-building for Nigerian climate negotiators and initiatives to strengthen the country’s carbon market framework.

The European official said the success of NDC 3.0 would depend not only on the ambition of its targets but also on the strength of the partnerships supporting implementation.

In the livestock sector, the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, called for stronger integration of climate-smart practices into livestock production to protect farmers’ livelihoods, improve productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

He identified rising temperatures, droughts, flooding, water scarcity and pasture degradation as growing threats to animal health, livestock productivity and pastoral communities.

The minister said his ministry was promoting climate-smart, low-emissions livestock production through improved animal nutrition, feed efficiency, animal health services, herd management and manure management.

He disclosed that the ministry was also conducting a methane baseline survey in collaboration with the World Bank-supported Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project to establish a clearer basis for measuring emissions from the sector.

According to him, the ministry had begun installing digital weather stations at livestock development centres to provide data on atmospheric pressure, wind speed, humidity and soil conditions to support climate monitoring and planning.

He urged the Federal Government to strengthen collaboration with state and local governments, noting that effective climate interventions in livestock production must address conditions in the areas where animals, grazing lands and other natural resources are located.

The minister further called for increased investment in sustainable water supplies, fodder production, climate-resilient feed systems, disease surveillance and early-warning mechanisms.

He said climate finance should support practical interventions that benefit smallholder farmers, pastoralists, women and young people, particularly in feed production, animal health, processing and marketing.

Maiha assured stakeholders of his ministry’s commitment to working with relevant institutions to translate Nigeria’s climate commitments into measurable interventions across livestock value chains.

Stakeholders at the meeting were urged to move beyond policy declarations and establish clear responsibilities, implementation timelines, financing arrangements and measurable indicators to track progress.

The government maintained that the effectiveness of Nigeria’s climate commitments would ultimately be determined by the investments mobilised, emissions reduced, communities protected and development benefits delivered to Nigerians.