Governors mull roadmap for climate finance implementation

The acting director-general of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Dr. Abdullateef Shittu, has said governors of the 36 states of the federation are considering a roadmap for successful climate finance implementation.

Shittu who spoke on Wednesday in Abuja, during the opening session of a two-day symposium on ‘state access to climate finance’ organised by UKNIAF, in collaboration with the NGF, said the governors are committed to providing support in accessing climate finance to implement impactful projects.

Recall that many countries including Nigeria, have been grappling with the issue of climate change, which is reflected in different ways including drought, desertification, rising sea levels, erosion, floods and thunderstorms.

All these have continued to negatively affect human and animals’ lives and also the ecosystems in Nigeria.

Shittu said the NGF in collaboration with other partners would continue to advocate for the resources and policies necessary to address climate change and achieve sustainable development.

He said, “This is a unique opportunity for state-level governments to come together. The aim of the roundtable is to enable states share their experience and explore the utilisation of climate change finance to achieve development goal.

“The NGF is committed to supporting our states in accessing climate finance to implement impactful projects. By pinpointing and highlighting development projects and investments that are politically viable and financially feasible, we aim to create a roadmap for successful climate finance implementation.”

Also, the Climate Change and Nature Team Lead of the Foreign, Commonwealth And Development Office (FCDO), Martine Sobey, said the organisation has put some projects in place to address the issue of climate change in some states in Nigeria.

On his part, the Senior Climate Advisor, UKNiAF, Daniel Kim Chai Yeo, said climate change finance should be one of the political priorities in Nigeria.