Nigeria has strengthened its climate leadership credentials in West Africa with the submission of its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the first by any country in the sub-region.

This milestone comes as Vice President Kashim Shettima prepares to launch Nigeria’s green transition roadmap before global leaders at COP30, signalling the administration’s intent to translate climate commitments into bankable investments and tangible development projects.

Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Dr. Tenioye Majekodunmi, disclosed this in Belém, Brazil, while briefing journalists ahead of the opening of the thirtieth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30).

Majekodunmi highlighted Nigeria’s early submission of the updated NDC as a strategic advantage, positioning the country to leverage the summit for increased climate financing, partnerships, and technology support.

Ten years ago, 196 Parties adopted the Paris Agreement at COP21 in France, ushering in a landmark global framework for climate action.

At the core of the agreement are NDCs, through which each Party must outline its emissions-reduction goals and adaptation pathways every five years from 2020.

Majekodunmi described COP30 as a long-anticipated “implementation COP,” noting that Nigeria arrives in Belém with significant momentum.
“With the submission of our NDC 3.0, being the first in West Africa, this is a turning point for Nigeria,” she said.

She identified three key strategic takeaways for Nigeria at the summit, emphasising that COP30 will enhance investor confidence and accelerate climate-aligned investment inflows.

“One of our main priorities is to turn NDC 3.0 deliverables into bankable projects, partnerships, and pay-for-performance engagements. We must shift from paper to projects, and COP30 is where Nigeria intends to do this,” she stated.

She commended recent approvals by the Federal Government, including the National Carbon Market Framework and steps to operationalise the National Climate Change Fund, describing them as pivotal to signalling investor readiness and unlocking high-integrity carbon market opportunities.

“Belém provides a global matchmaking platform to activate this market framework, and we are excited about what is to come,” she added.

Majekodunmi also noted that Nigeria would use COP30 to deepen South-South cooperation, particularly through emerging forest conservation alliances among the Amazon, Congo, and Guinea regions.

“This collaboration, building on Brazil’s forest protection efforts, strengthens the Belém agenda. We are keen to learn and enhance cooperation and take practical gains back home,” she said.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, affirmed that Nigeria’s participation underscores its strong commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the pursuit of its climate obligations.

“It is not just about being present in Belém. It demonstrates the President’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and ensuring that Article 13 on climate action is fully implemented,” he said.

Nkwocha noted that Vice President Shettima’s engagements will centre on Nigeria’s NDC 3.0, including efforts to cut emissions by 32 per cent by 2035.

Shettima is expected to join other world leaders, development partners, and private-sector actors at a high-level thematic session on “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans.”

He will also deliver Nigeria’s national statement during the leaders’ plenary.