Nigeria has positioned itself as West Africa’s climate‑action leader after becoming the first nation in the region to submit its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This milestone comes as Vice‑President Kashim Shettima prepares to unveil Nigeria’s green‑transition roadmap to world leaders at the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, Brazil.
Director‑General of the National Council on Climate Change, Tenioye Majekodunmi, disclosed this in an interview with journalists ahead of the summit. “This is particularly what we call the implementation COP that we have all been waiting for here in Belém, and we are very excited that it has come. COP 30 is particularly important for us in Nigeria because of the momentum that we have gathered in the last two months… this is a turning point for Nigeria,” she said.
Majekodunmi highlighted three key take‑aways for Nigeria at COP30. She noted that the summit will boost investor confidence, and that the government has recently approved a National Carbon Market Framework and operationalised the National Climate Change Fund. “One of the main things we are hoping to take away is to turn all the deliverables in our NDC 3.0 into pipeline projects, partnerships and pay‑for‑performance… Secondly, just a few days ago, the Nigerian government approved the National Carbon Market Framework… That decision really gives investors a clear policy direction and signals that Nigeria is open for high‑integrity carbon investments which deliver real mitigation and community benefits,” she added.
She also emphasised that COP30 provides “the right global matchmaking platform” to deepen South‑South cooperation on climate change, especially with forest‑region dialogues involving the Amazon, Congo and Guinea. “It is something that has never happened before… We are excited to see how we can improve on this collaboration and take a lot of things home,” Majekodunmi said.
Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the President and spokesperson for the Vice‑President, Mr Stanley Nkwocha, said Nigeria’s participation demonstrates commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Accord and Goal 13 on climate action. “For us as a country, it is not just about our participation at COP 30… it shows clearly the President’s commitment to the 2016 Paris Accord… and ensuring that Article 13… is duly pursued and being implemented to the letter,” he stated. Nkwocha added that Nigeria remains fully committed to a 32 percent emissions‑reduction target by 2035.
Vice‑President Shettima is scheduled to join world leaders at a high‑level thematic session on “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans” and to present Nigeria’s climate‑action address during the general plenary.
The statement was issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice‑President), on 6th November 2025.
