Sahara Group has said that scaling nature-based solutions across Africa will be essential to unlocking climate finance, accelerating adaptation and strengthening the continent’s resilience as the world moves toward a low-carbon future.

Speaking at the just concluded 30th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, Governance and Sustainability Manager at Sahara Group, Tejumade Tejuoso, said the continent must be more deliberate in building systems that safeguard lives, livelihoods and vital ecosystems.

“For Africa, this is a crucial moment to build strong resilience systems and access the right kind of financing. We must transition in a way that benefits us, justly and responsibly, and that means keeping development firmly at the centre,” she said.

Africa, despite contributing the least to global emissions, continues to face disproportionate climate impacts. The situation, Tejuoso said, underscores the urgency of responsible, well-financed and development-aligned action.

She added that global negotiations offer opportunities for African governments and private-sector players to secure fair climate finance, deepen adaptation measures and strengthen regional climate-risk readiness.

Pointing to Sahara Group’s Adopt-a-Forest initiative as a cornerstone of its nature-based work, Tejuoso said the energy conglomerate is restoring key forest and mangrove ecosystems across the continent, with a target of planting at least 1,000,000 trees across its operations.

She listed ongoing interventions, including the restoration of a 34-hectare arboretum and facility upgrades at Banco National Park in Côte d’Ivoire; landscape regeneration in Nigeria with 23,900 trees already planted; rehabilitation of 15 hectares of degraded land in Ghana’s Juaso District; expanded mangrove restoration in Kenya with 10,000 seedlings and 3,100 mature trees planted; and forest recovery programmes in Cameroon and Tanzania, where about 2,000 trees have been planted.

“Our work is rebuilding natural ecosystems, enhancing carbon sequestration potential, and strengthening community resilience. We are working to adopt as many forest areas as possible to help restore balance to the climate,” Tejuoso added.

She also highlighted the company’s early preparations for new global sustainability disclosure standards (IFRS S1 and S2), which will become mandatory for public-interest entities by 2028.