Copyright newtelegraphng
…as Nigeria reaffirms resolve to champion climate change solutions in Africa The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has departed Belem, Brazil, for Abuja after a successful diplomatic engagement in the South American country where he represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 30th Session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30). This came just as Nigeria has reaffirmed its determination to continue to use its influence to lead the way in seeking solutions to climate change matters in Africa and beyond. The Conference convened by Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in collaboration with the United Nations and other global partners, was held from November 6 to 7 in the city of Belém, capital of the state of Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon. During the international engagement, Shettima joined other world leaders, development partners and business executives at the Leaders’ Climate Summit – COP30, where he delivered a speech on Nigeria’s effort in addressing climate change, saying the nation’s renewed climate agenda represents “not just an aspiration, but a solemn national commitment to preserve the planet for future generations.” Shettima also represented the President at a high-level thematic session titled “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans,” on the margins of COP 30, where he delivered Nigeria’s bold statement. Delivering the statement titled, “The Rational Soul of Nature,” he called on global partners “to recognise the economic value of nature and to channel significant finance towards protecting and restoring it through predictable, equitable, and accessible funding mechanisms.” The Nigerian Vice President also took part in the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Fund, and participated in a roundtable chaired by President Lula on Climate and Nature, as well as an Amazonian Cocktail for Heads of Delegation, hosted by the President of Brazil. On the sidelines, Shettima also held bilateral meetings focused on establishing and managing Nigeria’s participation in the carbon markets, enabling the nation to unlock between $2.5 billion and $3 billion annually in carbon finance over the next decade to help meet climate goals. Meanwhile, Nigeria has affirmed its determination to continue to use its influence to lead the way in seeking solutions to climate change matters in Africa and beyond. According to Stanley Nkwoccha, a presidential spokesman, Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai, who disclosed this in an interview with journalists, gave a recap of the Vice President’s participation in COP 30 held in Belem, Brazil. She said Nigeria would use its influence to mobilise finance for the country, as well as advocate the adaptation finance for African nations in order to collectively tackle the challenges of climate change. “One thing that I know the whole world would look out for is Nigeria’s leadership in Africa. So we do have our influence in the regional ECOWAS and also at the AU platforms to demonstrate that we are the big brother. “So, we must galvanise all stakeholders, both in public and private sectors, to make sure we implement our National Determined Contributions (NDCs) and make it work for us,” she said. The presidential aide added that Nigeria’s natural resources would also play a key role in mitigating the effects of climate change. “The natural capital we have – don’t forget that we are an oil-producing nation and endowed with vast natural gas resources and renewables – we will also continue to use that to implement the NDCs in a way that works for us and addresses the sustainable development challenges that we are facing,” El-Rufai added. On the passion of the Nigerian government for seeking solutions to climate change matters, El-Rufai said, “Nature and climate are the very home that makes our economy thrive and also gives us the stability to live good lives. So, we are dependent
