The government’s strategy centres on converting global climate finance pledges into accessible investment capital, attracting funding for energy transition projects and expanding opportunities in green industrialisation, carbon markets and emerging green value chains.

Speaking at a pre-COP31 media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the Director-General of the NCCC, Tenioye Majekodunmi, said Nigeria would use the conference in Antalya, Türkiye, to demonstrate its readiness to move beyond climate commitments towards implementation, investment and measurable development outcomes.

She noted that Nigeria had strengthened its climate policy framework through its updated Nationally Determined Contribution, known as NDC 3.0, alongside its wider climate action and energy transition agenda. However, she stressed that the success of these commitments would ultimately depend on their practical implementation.

“Capital follows certainty,” the Director-General said, emphasising that investors require predictable policies, credible institutions, commercially viable projects and confidence in the stability of regulations before committing to long-term investments.

According to Majekodunmi, Nigeria’s participation at COP31 will involve more than presenting its climate financing requirements. The country also intends to showcase viable projects and partnerships that could attract investors and development partners into its energy transition programme.

The NCCC outlined a four-stage approach to ensuring climate finance produces tangible economic outcomes: “Dollars. Deals. Deliveries. Dividends.”

Under the framework, financial commitments must lead to investment agreements, signed agreements must translate into projects delivered on the ground, and completed projects must create employment, support businesses and improve incomes.

Majekodunmi said Nigeria’s climate transition should be assessed not only through reductions in carbon emissions but also by its contribution to economic expansion and better living conditions.

“Nigeria’s climate transition will not be measured only in tonnes of carbon avoided. It will be measured in jobs created, businesses built and incomes improved,” the official said.

Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan projects the creation of approximately 340,000 net new jobs by 2030, with the figure expected to increase to 840,000 by 2060. The anticipated employment opportunities are expected to be concentrated in the power, clean cooking and transport sectors.

The NCCC said these projections demonstrate the economic opportunities associated with climate action, particularly for young Nigerians seeking employment and businesses positioning themselves to participate in emerging green industries.

Beyond employment, Nigeria plans to pursue investments in green industrialisation, value addition and economic diversification, including opportunities associated with critical minerals and developing green value chains.

The country also intends to expand opportunities under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which establishes mechanisms for international cooperation in reducing emissions, while ensuring that environmental integrity is maintained.

Majekodunmi said Nigeria would push for improved access to climate finance and more effective mechanisms for converting international funding pledges into capital that developing countries can deploy for climate-related projects.

She added that the country would advocate a just transition framework that takes account of its development priorities and energy-access challenges, rather than approaching climate action exclusively as an environmental concern.

The NCCC maintained that achieving these objectives would depend partly on the ability of Nigeria’s negotiators to defend national interests and influence decisions shaping the international climate framework.

“A country that negotiates well captures resources, protects its interests and shapes outcomes. A country that negotiates poorly inherits terms written by others,” the Director-General said.

As part of its preparations, Nigeria organised a pre-COP31 briefing and a negotiators’ capacity-building workshop on October 20. Discussions covered multilateral negotiating tracks, climate finance, loss and damage, carbon markets, Article 6 and the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance.

Participants also examined the priorities of the Türkiye-Australia COP31 presidency and the Belém-Antalya Just Transition Mechanism.

The council further disclosed that it had completed its seventh and eighth UK PACT workshops on strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to participate in international climate negotiations. The sessions took place from October 26 to 28.

The workshops featured practical negotiation exercises covering the Just Transition Work Programme, the Mitigation Work Programme, climate finance, the Global Goal on Adaptation and Article 6.

Nigeria’s negotiating team has also been developing its opening positions, possible compromise areas and red lines to establish clear objectives and safeguard the country’s interests during the discussions.

To sustain the knowledge and expertise being developed, the NCCC said it had continued its structured mentorship programme and introduced the Nigeria Climate Negotiator Network alongside a digital resource repository. These initiatives are intended to preserve institutional knowledge beyond COP31.

In addition to strengthening its negotiating capacity, the council announced the launch of its annual media training programme to improve journalists’ understanding and reporting of climate change issues.

The programme will address a broad range of subjects, including greenhouse gas emissions, environmental impacts, climate finance, energy transition, carbon markets, adaptation, green industrialisation, employment and investment.

Majekodunmi said journalists play an important role in making complex international climate negotiations understandable and relevant to Nigerians. She noted that effective reporting would help connect global climate decisions with local development priorities and provide information that citizens could understand and use.

Nigeria also plans to strengthen Africa’s collective position in international climate negotiations as preparations begin for COP32, which is expected to provide an important platform for advancing the continent’s climate priorities.

The NCCC said Africa’s climate agenda must remain closely linked to energy access, industrialisation, economic diversification, employment and investment. It also called for global climate finance arrangements that give developing countries more effective access to funding.

Majekodunmi said Nigeria would attend COP31 ready to negotiate, establish partnerships and attract investment, stressing that the implementation of commitments would determine the success of its climate ambitions.

The country now faces the task of translating its climate policies and international agreements into viable projects capable of expanding economic opportunities, generating employment and improving livelihoods.

The NCCC said its priority remained ensuring that climate finance produces investment and that such investments deliver tangible prosperity for Nigerians.