Kenya High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Isaac Parashina, has explicitly stated that funding remains Africa’s primary concern, as the continent needs $250 billion to achieve its climate targets, yet current funding falls considerably short of this amount.

Parashina, who spoke at the Climate Change Forum in Abuja, explained, “We must continue to advocate for equitable access to global climate finance to strengthen domestic resources, mobilisation and accountability to ensure that every investment translates into measurable impact.”

He added, “Transition gaps are not only financial. They are institutional, technological and managerial. Our task is to align national budgets with climate priorities, strengthen local capacity and ensure that climate finance is accessible, predictable and effectively utilised.”

The envoy declared, “Kenya believes that Africa’s climate transition must be collaborative. No country can address this challenge alone. Africa does not lack vision. It lacks cohesion between aspiration, institutions and the resources necessary to sustain them.

Explaining further, he maintained: “Climate change is no longer merely an environmental issue, but it is now a question of serenity, security and governance, droughts, the floods that wash away homes and farms, and the rising seas that threaten our coasts are not distant ones.”

Similarly, he hinted that Kenya leads Africa in geothermal production, with over 90 per cent of megawatts connected to the national grid and further projects underway. He said the success is grounded in policy continuity, investment certainty, and a regulatory environment that encourages innovation.

“Our campaign to plant 15 billion trees by 2030 seeks not just the environmental restoration but also a cultural shift, a reimagining of civic duty where every tree planted is an investment in the future. October 10 is declared as National Tree Planting Day.”

Parashina, however, noted that Kenya and Nigeria, for example, have enormous potential for cooperation in renewable energy, green technology, sustainable agriculture, and carbon markets.