Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Belém, Brazil, for Abuja after a series of high-level engagements at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), where he represented President Bola Tinubu.

Nigeria used the global platform to reaffirm its resolve to champion climate solutions across Africa and leverage its strategic influence to mobilise climate finance for the continent.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications Stanley Nkwocha, weekend, said the conference, convened by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in collaboration with the United Nations and global partners, held from November 6 to 7 in Belém, capital of Pará state in the Brazilian Amazon.

At the Leaders’ Climate Summit, Shettima highlighted Nigeria’s renewed climate agenda, describing it as “a solemn national commitment to preserve the planet for future generations.”

He also represented President Tinubu at a high-level thematic dialogue, “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans,” where he delivered Nigeria’s country statement titled “The Rational Soul of Nature.”

He urged global partners to recognise the economic value of nature and channel significant, predictable and equitable finance toward protecting and restoring ecosystems.

The Vice President participated in the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Fund, a roundtable chaired by President Lula on Climate and Nature, and an Amazonian cocktail reception for heads of delegation.

On the sidelines, Shettima held bilateral talks focused on enabling Nigeria’s participation in carbon markets, an initiative expected to unlock between $2.5 billion and $3 billion annually in carbon finance over the next decade to support national climate goals.

Speaking to journalists, Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai, described Nigeria’s engagements in Belém as a strong signal of the country’s continental leadership.

She said Nigeria would continue to leverage its influence within ECOWAS and the African Union to mobilise climate finance and advocate increased adaptation funding for African countries.

“One thing the whole world will look out for is Nigeria’s leadership in Africa,” she noted. “We must galvanise public and private-sector stakeholders to deliver on our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and make them work for us.”

El-Rufai described Nigeria’s natural resource endowment, including oil, natural gas and renewables, as key assets for achieving climate targets while driving sustainable development.

“Nature and climate are the very home that sustain our economy and quality of life,” she said. “This is why responsible use of natural resources is critical to ensure sustainability for future generations.”

She said the Tinubu administration remains committed to long-term value creation, resilience and policy prioritisation in climate and nature sectors.

While acknowledging that several countries are yet to submit their NDCs to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), she noted that Nigeria had taken early action.

“Many countries have not submitted their NDCs, but Nigeria has. China and the EU just submitted. We are showing leadership with our Climate Change Act and carbon market framework,” she said.

She added that COP30, billed as the “COP of Action and Implementation,” is expected to drive the operationalisation of NDCs and advance fulfilment of climate finance pledges announced in Baku, reduced from $1.3 trillion to $300 billion.