Cross River State has commenced the development of a climate transition plan aimed at strengthening climate resilience, protecting natural resources and supporting sustainable economic growth across the state.

Governor Bassey Otu, represented by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Elvert Ayambem, announced the initiative at an inaugural workshop in Calabar on Tuesday.

Otu, who chairs the Cross River State Council on Climate Change, said shifting weather patterns, unpredictable agricultural cycles and ecological displacement required coordinated responses from government, businesses and communities.

He explained that the plan would establish a framework for building climate resilience and promoting sustainable economic development in line with his administration’s People First agenda.

The governor also urged financial institutions and private investors to explore green financing, green bonds and sustainable business opportunities to support the transition.

He stressed the importance of protecting Cross River’s environmental assets, including more than half of Nigeria’s remaining tropical rainforests, valuable mangrove ecosystems and rich biodiversity, noting the need for deliberate conservation efforts.

As part of the process, the state will undertake four baseline assessments across its 18 local government areas. The studies will examine greenhouse gas emissions, climate risks and vulnerabilities, climate finance, and mitigation strategies.

According to Otu, the assessments will generate reliable data to guide policy decisions, determine priorities and support the implementation of the transition plan.

He acknowledged Future Funds, the Under2 Coalition and the Climate Group for providing the seed grant for the studies. He also recognised the contributions of the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Development Programme to the state’s environmental, agricultural and green development initiatives.

The governor called on ministries, departments and agencies, local government council chairmen, civil society organisations, community representatives and businesses to participate actively in the process.

He emphasised that the plan’s success would depend on reliable information, collective ownership and practical implementation. The workshop will also review and finalise the first-order drafts of the state’s Climate Change Policy and Action Plan and Green Economy Policy and Action Plan.

Earlier, the Director-General of the State Council on Climate Change, Edu Effiom, said the workshop would initiate the development of the transition plan, facilitate a review of its zero draft and begin the baseline studies.

Effiom said government agencies and local councils had a critical role in supplying sector-specific data and technical input to shape the plan’s targets, projections and policy priorities.

She added that climate action must be incorporated into government budgets and local development plans to ensure policy commitments translate into tangible results.

Effiom commended Otu for establishing the council and providing political leadership, noting that the body would coordinate the technical and institutional support needed to implement the plan.

In a goodwill message, the Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the State Planning Commission, Bong Duke, described the plan as a framework that should guide Cross River’s future economic development.

Duke called for climate adaptation and mitigation measures to be integrated into infrastructure planning, budgeting and sectoral strategies.

He also pledged the commission’s cooperation in ensuring that data, economic targets and recommendations generated through the process inform the state’s medium- and long-term development plans.

Source: The Sun