Nigeria is preparing to use the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) to attract climate investment and create up to 840,000 net new jobs by 2060, as the government pushes for international climate commitments to deliver measurable economic benefits for Nigerians.

The National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) said the country would focus on converting global climate finance pledges into accessible investment capital, attracting investors to 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, NCCC Director-General 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 broader climate action and energy transition agenda. However, she stressed that the effectiveness of these policies would ultimately depend on the results they deliver.

“Capital follows certainty,” the Director-General said, highlighting the importance of predictable policies, credible institutions, commercially viable projects and confidence in the regulatory environment for attracting long-term investments.

According to her, Nigeria’s participation at COP31 would go beyond presenting its financing requirements. The country also intends to showcase investment-ready projects and partnerships that would enable investors and development partners to participate in its climate transition.

The NCCC outlined a four-stage framework for translating climate finance into tangible economic outcomes: “Dollars. Deals. Deliveries. Dividends.”

Under this approach, international financing commitments must lead to investment agreements, signed agreements must produce projects on the ground, and completed projects must create employment, support businesses and improve incomes.

Majekodunmi maintained that Nigeria’s climate transition should not be assessed solely through reductions in carbon emissions but also through its contribution to economic development and improved living standards.

“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 approximately 340,000 net new jobs by 2030, with the figure expected to increase to 840,000 by 2060. The projected employment opportunities are 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 looking to enter emerging green industries.

Beyond the energy transition, Nigeria will pursue investments in green industrialisation, value addition and economic diversification, including opportunities associated with critical minerals and emerging green value chains.

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

Nigeria will further advocate improved access to climate finance and more effective mechanisms for converting international funding commitments into capital that developing countries can deploy for climate-related projects.

Majekodunmi said the country would also push for a just transition that takes its development priorities and energy-access realities into account, rather than approaching climate action exclusively as an environmental concern.

The council emphasised that achieving these objectives would depend partly on the ability of Nigeria’s negotiators to defend national interests and influence decisions that shape 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 media 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 NCCC disclosed that it had completed its seventh and eighth UK PACT workshops, held between October 26 and 28, to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for international climate negotiations.

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

Nigeria’s negotiators have also been developing their opening positions, identifying possible areas of compromise and establishing red lines to clarify national objectives and safeguard the country’s interests during the negotiations.

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 negotiation capacity beyond COP31.

The council also announced the launch of its annual media training programme, designed to strengthen journalists’ ability to report climate change issues accurately and provide greater context and depth.

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

Majekodunmi highlighted the importance of the media in making complex international climate negotiations understandable to Nigerians. She said journalists also had a responsibility to connect decisions taken at global conferences with local development priorities.

Meanwhile, Nigeria will work towards strengthening Africa’s collective position in international climate negotiations as preparations begin for COP32, which is expected to offer an important platform for advancing the continent’s climate priorities.

The NCCC maintained that Africa’s climate agenda must remain closely connected to energy access, industrialisation, economic diversification, employment and investment. It also called for global climate finance mechanisms to provide developing countries with more effective access to funding.

Majekodunmi said Nigeria would attend COP31 prepared to negotiate, establish partnerships and attract investment, emphasising that successful implementation would ultimately determine the value of its climate commitments.

The central challenge for the country will be translating existing climate policies and international agreements into viable projects capable of expanding economic opportunities, generating employment and improving livelihoods.

The NCCC said its priority was to ensure that climate finance resulted in actual investments and that those investments delivered tangible prosperity for Nigerians.

SOURCE: ThisDayLive