Nigeria has called on the international community to substantially increase global financing to protect and restore the world’s natural ecosystems, emphasizing that forests, landscapes, and oceans are shared resources that demand collective responsibility.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, made the call during a high-level thematic session titled “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans.”
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According to the Vice President, Nigeria is pursuing a new balance between climate action, nature restoration, and sustainable development through innovative financing frameworks worth $3 billion annually.
“Through our National Carbon Market Framework and Climate Change Fund, we aim to mobilise up to three billion US dollars annually in climate finance. These resources will be reinvested in community-led reforestation, blue carbon projects, and sustainable agriculture,” Shettima stated.
He lamented that nature—arguably the world’s most critical infrastructure—has long been exploited rather than preserved, urging global leaders to invest in its restoration.
The Vice President argued that developing nations, particularly in the Global South, are unfairly bearing the brunt of climate change despite contributing the least to global emissions.
“Those who have benefited most from centuries of extraction must now lead in restoration,” he said, calling for grant-based financing, debt-for-nature swaps, and operationalisation of blue carbon markets under the Paris Agreement.
Shettima also highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing environmental initiatives, including the Great Green Wall Project, which is reforesting degraded lands across 11 frontline states, planting over 10 million trees, and creating thousands of green jobs for youth and women.
He noted that through the National Afforestation Programme and Forest Landscape Restoration Plan, Nigeria aims to restore more than two million hectares of degraded land by 2030. Similarly, the newly launched Marine and Blue Economy Policy seeks to promote climate-smart fisheries, coastal protection, and marine biodiversity conservation.
Acknowledging the threats of deforestation, desertification, illegal mining, and rising sea levels, Shettima said Nigeria is determined to be at the forefront of global environmental dialogue and solutions.
“We see the signs of danger in deforestation and desertification. The Sahara advances by nearly one kilometre each year, displacing communities and eroding livelihoods. Each piece of land these threats overcome invites conflict into human lives,” he warned.
The Vice President reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to global partnerships that align climate action with nature restoration and human prosperity, rejecting the “outdated portrayal” of Africa as merely a victim of climate change.
He said Africa’s rainforests, mangroves, peatlands, and oceans represent some of the planet’s largest untapped carbon sinks, while its youth remain a vital source of innovation for global sustainability.
“COP30 must mark the beginning of a new compact—one that recognises Africa’s ecosystems as global assets deserving of global investment and protection,” Shettima declared.
