Today, the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) themed ‘Delivering for People and the Planet’ kicks off in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt. The event will host more than 45,000 registered COP27 participants representing Parties, the United Nations (UN), regional non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, businesses, the scientific community, local communities as well as civil society to jointly enhance and accelerate the implementation of climate action and follow up on collective commitments and pledges.
Tagged Africa’s COP, the event couldn’t have been hosted in Africa at a better time. Africa is no stranger to the disproportionate impact of climate change. The continent contributes only 3% to greenhouse gas emissions but suffers disproportionately from its negative impacts. Today, Africa loses between $7 billion and $15 billion annually to climate change and according to Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, “If things don’t change, it will be $50 billion a year by 2030.” Last year, Madagascar became the first country on earth to suffer a famine solely due to the impact of climate change. By 2050, climate change will lead to an additional 78 million people experiencing chronic hunger – over half of them in Africa. Therefore, Egypt hosting COP27 is significant and incredibly important for Africa and the rest of the world.
As Africa’s largest economy and most populous nation, Nigeria will be actively participating in COP27 with the Honourable Minister of Environment, Mohammed H. Abdullahi amongst other Nigerian stakeholders scheduled to attend. In the private sector, Oando Clean Energy Limited (OCEL), the renewable energy subsidiary of Oando PLC will also be in attendance.
You would recall that at COP26 in Glasgow, President Muhammadu Buhari, pledged that Nigeria would reach net zero carbon emissions by 2060. Part of the discourse this year will be reviewing where countries are in relation to the commitments they made in 2021. OCEL will join key renewable players across the African public and private sector to reiterate the role the continent is playing in supporting global targets and creating a more sustainable future. Specifically, OCEL in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN), and Stratus Consult Limited, will lead two dialogues at the Nigeria Pavilion.
The first dialogue themed ’Decarbonising an Oil-rich Region: A Case for the Niger Delta, Nigeria’ will hold on Thursday, November 10 and the second ‘Achieving Nigeria’s Net Zero Target: A Public-Private Partnership’ will take place on Friday, November 11. These events will showcase the investments the company is making in renewable energy in Nigeria and the importance of Public Private Partnerships in enabling the nation actualize her industrialization goals whilst at the same time supporting the achievement of global climate change ambitions.
If COP26 was about countries making promises to avoid catastrophic climate change, the broader themes in Egypt will be moving from ambition to action, especially in Africa.
Also, As Nigeria joins global leaders for the Conference of Parties (COP) of the Unite Nations Frame Work Convention on Climate Change at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi has expressed high optimism that the expectations of Nigeria and Africa at COP27 will be achieved as he said issues that are of concern to them are already in the front burner of agenda for discussions
Speaking on the expectations of Nigeria at COP 27 dubbed Africa and action COP, the Minister of Environment who is also the head of Nigeria’s delegation stated that amongst other issues Nigeria will push for, is loss and damage.
“We are focused on ensuring that we bring the issue of loss and damage to the fore and we are already making progress in this regards, because during the Pre-Cop engagement the COP 27 President, Sameh Shoukry highlighted flood related issue with particular reference to Nigeria and Pakistan amongst other nations as one of the key issue on the agenda for discussion, already the issues of flood is linked to loss and damage and that is of priority to us as a nation.”
He noted that Nigeria delegation will also focus on the African carbon market initiative as it try to kick start the framework for carbon trading, adding that similar attention will also be giving to a nobel issue called debt for climate swap aimed to call the attention of developed countries on the impact of their industrialisation on the developing countries and the need for them to mitigate the impact on the continent of Africa and Nigeria in particular.
“In addition, Nigeria as the leader of the PAN African Agency for the Great Green Wall will focus on climate finance to support its activities in the Sahel Region particularly in the most endemic Northern states described as the front line states where there is fast approaching desert encroachment and of course wetland drying up, these and others are huge issues that we will be focusing on” Abdullahi affirmed.
On unfulfilled promises made to the developing countries by the developed countries during past COPs the Minister stated that Nigeria will not take a know it all approach but will align its position with the African agenda that was agreed at Dakar meeting.
“Part of what we will do is to galvanise the action plan for Africa to push for a positive climate funding action from the developed countries, that is why the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan is aligned to ensuring that we get the requisite funding for smooth transition to renewables without which it will be very difficult to deploy infrastructure to support our mini grid, deployment of solar and support bio-fuel.
African countries and developing countries indeed understand that funding is important in whatever position COP 27 will take.” The Abdullahi posited.
As the leader of Nigeria delegation and representative of President Muhammadu Buhari to COP 27, the Minister speaking on his plan to interface and engage with private sector and investor that could support the energy transition plan of Nigeria stated that a number of bilateral meetings and engagement has been arranged to discuss funding from development partners and the private sector, stressing that what he intend to do is to capitalise on the GGW accelerator which is a window for financing the activities of the Great Green Wall member states.
Towards these ends, a side meeting has been arranged with the sustainable energy for all donors that focus on climate finance particularly carbon trading, “we are also working with Nigerian private enterprise amongst other development partners.”
The statement signed by Akintunde Martins assured Nigerians that the minister and his team of negotiator will return to the country with a strong, dependable and bankable commitment from the development partners.
“We have secured the assurance of the Head of the United Nations Sustainable Energy for all, Damilola Ogunbiyi who is also a Nigerian that there is a window of about 400 million dollars to support Africa’s carbon market initiative, we are beginning to record achievements even before we started”
“Nigeria negotiators will align with other African countries in recognition of what we agreed in Kigali and at the Africa Minsters’ Conference on Environment (AMCEN) declaration in Dakar Senegal. to focus on afforestation, Climate Finance, the need to mitigate desertification and of course to emphasised on loss and damage, this is important and crucial to address some of the climate challenges Africa grappled with” the Minister underscored
