Climate Change: Funding, Data Deficits Threaten Nigeria’s Sustainability Targets – Experts

Despite growing opportunities in renewable energy, circular economy initiatives and green job creation, Nigeria’s quest to achieve its sustainability and climate change objectives faces significant obstacles, including inadequate financing, weak data systems, rapid urbanisation and limited institutional capacity.

These concerns formed the topic of discourse at a webinar organised by the Nigeria Academy of Engineering (NAE) on the theme, “Achieving Nigeria’s Sustainability and Climate Change Goals: Challenges, Opportunities and Practice.”

Speakers at the event stressed that climate action must move beyond policy declarations to practical implementation.

Delivering the keynote address, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed described Nigeria’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) as a blueprint for economic transformation rather than merely a climate document.

According to her, “Nigeria’s national climate plan, its nationally determined contributions submitted in September last year, is more than a climate document. It is a blueprint for a better, stronger and more resilient economy. It sets out a pathway for economy-wide action, backed by concrete measures across key sectors and anchored in development, resilience and opportunity.”

She warned that climate impacts were already reshaping lives and livelihoods across the country.

“Across Nigeria, climate impacts are intensifying, from floods and coastal erosion to drought, extreme heat and changing rainfall patterns. These are no longer distant risks. They are shaping lives, livelihoods, infrastructure, food systems and communities today.

“With predictions of a 2026 El Niño, every investment must turn into long-term resilience and independence. We can no longer build infrastructure or design technology based on yesterday’s climate. We must build and design for the warmer, more uncertain climate of the future,” she said.

Mohammed noted that engineers would play a critical role in translating climate commitments into practical projects capable of withstanding future environmental challenges.

“Engineers are central to moving from commitments on paper to projects on the ground. You are the people who will help turn ambition into systems, structures, technologies and solutions that can endure,” she stated.

She further advocated a just energy transition, saying, “We must act with urgency to transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewables. But it must be a just transition, one that also embraces the country’s growth. Climate action today is not only about reducing emissions; it is about economic transformation, jobs, clean energy, food security, resilient infrastructure and opportunity for young people.”

While speaking on sub-national climate governance, Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Mrs Titlayo Oshodi explained Lagos State’s environmental vulnerabilities, citing flooding, coastal erosion, rising temperatures and mounting pressure on infrastructure resulting from rapid population growth.

“We have very worrying situations around our climate trajectory, cutting across flooding into coastal erosion. As Lagos continues to rise above sea level and our coastal areas continue to recede, everybody can attest to rising temperatures. We also suffer extreme heat, deforestation and increasing pressure on food systems, infrastructure and livelihoods,” she said.

The Lagos climate adviser revealed that the state had developed State Determined Contributions (SDCs) to localise federal climate policies and make them relevant to local realities.

She explained that while climate policies exist, implementation remains constrained by inadequate funding, weak data collection systems, fragmented institutional coordination and limited technical capacity.

“Capital is really very critical. One of the things that can help us achieve climate resilience is the inclusion of as much funding as possible. Our data systems are weak. We are not able to effectively track emissions, and we do not even understand how to evaluate our performance in those spaces,” Oshodi stated.

According to her, Lagos is leveraging the circular economy model to convert environmental challenges into economic opportunities.

“Nigeria is increasingly focused on promoting a circular economy approach to waste management. We see it as a way to address climate change while creating economic opportunities and building capacity within our economy,” she said.

She highlighted the state’s Eco-Circulate Programme, which allows residents to exchange waste materials for school fees, agricultural produce, transportation incentives, mobile data and cash rewards.

“We have worked with communities where waste is exchanged for school fees, agricultural produce, money and even transportation discounts. The objective is to create value from waste while driving climate literacy and economic empowerment,” she explained.

Oshodi also disclosed that Lagos had launched clean cooking initiatives such as the Koko Stove project aimed at reducing dependence on firewood, curbing deforestation and improving health outcomes for vulnerable communities.

Commenting on Nigeria’s national climate commitments, National Desk Officer for Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Amudi Chioma Felistas, disclosed that the country’s NDC 3.0 marked a significant shift from previous climate plans by adopting economy-wide emission reduction targets aligned with Nigeria’s 2060 net-zero ambition.

“The NDC 3.0 has reaffirmed Nigeria’s determination to tackle the global climate crisis and marks a significant step in ambition. It has shifted from the normal business-as-usual approach to economy-wide emission reduction targets and serves as the vehicle that will drive Nigeria towards its 2060 net-zero goal,” she said.

She revealed that Nigeria aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 347.9 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, with the energy sector expected to contribute the largest share of reductions.

However, she acknowledged that financing remains one of the country’s biggest hurdles.

“Estimatedly, we require about $337 billion to implement the NDC. Mitigation alone requires about $195 billion, while adaptation needs about $141.5 billion. Of this amount, only 20 per cent is expected from domestic sources, while 80 per cent will depend on international funding,” she said.

Felistas emphasised that robust monitoring, reporting and verification systems would be crucial to achieving the country’s climate targets.

“There is no NDC without data. There is no sustainability and there is no growth without credible data. Reliable data is very critical to tracking progress and ensuring accountability,” she stated.

She identified renewable energy development, climate-resilient infrastructure, sustainable transportation, waste management, water resource management and carbon reduction technologies as areas where engineers could significantly contribute to national climate goals.

Highlighting the economic benefits of climate action, Felistas said Nigeria’s energy transition and green economy agenda could create millions of jobs for young people.

“In 2021, we conducted an assessment and found that the energy sector alone has the potential to create about three million jobs annually for Nigerian youths through renewable energy deployment and related activities,” she said.

The speakers unanimously agreed that achieving Nigeria’s climate ambitions would require stronger collaboration among government agencies, the private sector, financial institutions, civil society organisations and local communities.

Stakeholders at the forum warned that the country can no longer afford delays in implementation, insisting that success would depend on turning climate commitments into measurable action at both national and sub-national levels.

The experts stressed that climate action should not be viewed solely as an environmental obligation but as an economic development strategy capable of delivering jobs, investment opportunities, resilient infrastructure and sustainable growth.