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For the second year in a row, Lagos State has topped the table in the annual Subnational Climate Governance Performance Rating and Ranking exercise. This was announced on Tuesday 14 October, 2025, during the launch of the second edition of the report, in Abuja.

Speaking during the unveiling of the top performing States, the Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal said Lagos polled a total of 315 points to come first. Katsina, with 310 points, and Kaduna, with 305 points came second and third respectively.

An initiative of the Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), the Subnational Climate Governance Rating and Ranking project seeks to motivate subnational climate action by measuring the extent of State’s actions using five thematic areas viz: States’ Climate Institutional Arrangements; Status of Climate Policies, Action Plans, and legal frameworks at the State Level; Budgetary Allocation to Climate Change Projects; Climate Project Implementation and Monitoring; and Online Visibility and Publicity on Climate Change Issues at the State-level.

Explaining the rationale behind this, the President of the Society for Planet and Prosperity, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke stated that the five thematic areas represent critical pillars of climate action. Therefore, an interrogation of States’ efforts along those lines will spur action and provide guidance on the path States must toe.

In her speech, the Director General of the National Council on Climate Change, Barrister Tenioye Majekodunmi described the ranking as a critical milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards a robust grassroot driven climate action.

“This second ranking stands as a testament to the growing political will and commitment demonstrated by our state governments. The National Council on Climate Change as the apex regulatory body, is committed to translating the highest national ambition into local realities, and your performance is central to that mission,” she said.

This was further echoed by the First Secretary for Climate Diplomacy, UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Samantha Harrison during her goodwill message.

“We know that subnational actors are the heartbeat of climate action. Without them, our policies remain spreadsheets on paper. Effective climate governance at the subnational level is not just beneficial, it is essential,” she said.

This year’s edition saw Kano and Enugu States breaking into the top five by making tremendous improvements from their outing last year.

Initiated in 2024, the rating and ranking project has helped create healthy competition and collaborative actions amongst States in Nigeria. Reflections from States and other stakeholders reveal that the initiative has been very impactful. Accordingly, Dr. Dahiru Muhammad Hashim, Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Kano State affirms that: “Kano welcomes this platform as an opportunity to showcase progress, foster collaboration, and inspire greater ambition. The Ranking strengthens healthy competition, promotes knowledge exchange, and reinforces the urgency of addressing the climate crisis at the subnational level, where the impacts are most immediate and the solutions most impactful.”

Mr Tokunbo Wahab, Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State is of the opinion that: “For Lagos, the ranking boosts our commitment to building resilience, driving green growth, and embedding climate action into every part of our economy. We value this initiative not only for the healthy competition it encourages among states but also for the opportunities it creates for collaboration and shared progress. Lagos State remains determined to lead by example, making sure that our climate actions deliver sustainable development and a better quality of life for our people.”

Donor agencies have also seen the initiative as an important measuring board which helps provide guidance on what form of intervention States need to boost climate action. Professor Anthony Nyong, Director of Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank sees the exercise as an “innovative approach to strengthening subnational climate  governance in Nigeria, fostering accountability, and catalysing green growth and climate- resilient development across the continent. It provides a valuable model for evidence-based policymaking  and investment alignment to accelerate Africa’s just climate transition.”

Nigeria’s subnational remain the frontliners in the country’s efforts at addressing climate change. They are therefore critical for any meaningful impact to be made. The rating and ranking project seeks to inspire greater action.

Targets low-carbon growth, green energy, and climate resilience by 2060

 

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has inaugurated a 29-member committee to implement the Enugu State Climate Policy and Action Plan (ESCPAP), marking another decisive step in the state’s climate leadership journey.

Inaugurating the committee on Friday at the Government House, Enugu, Mbah said that the initiative was in demonstration of the administration’s unwavering commitment to tackling the global climate crisis through local solutions and sustainable development strategies.

According to the governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, the ESCPAP, which was launched on March 17, 2025, provides a comprehensive framework to promote low-carbon economic growth, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and build resilience against climate impacts.

“This plan positions Enugu as a leading subnational player in climate governance and sustainability across Africa,” he said.

The governor explained that the newly inaugurated committee would provide strategic oversight, coordination, and technical guidance for the effective implementation of the policy, adding that “The committee will ensure the successful delivery of climate mitigation, adaptation, finance mobilisation, and monitoring in line with state, national, and global climate commitments.”

Outlining its major responsibilities, Mbah said the committee would drive sectoral coordination across all relevant ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs); strengthen climate governance; mobilise climate finance through green bonds, carbon markets, and development partnerships; and monitor progress through an established results-based framework.

“Under mitigation, the committee will promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, low-carbon transport systems such as electric and CNG vehicles, sustainable waste management, afforestation, and climate-smart agriculture.

“For adaptation and resilience, the committee will undertake vulnerability assessments, develop local adaptation plans, and implement nature-based solutions for erosion and flood control. It will also promote climate-smart infrastructure, clean cooking technologies, and resilient livelihoods in communities.

“On governance and inclusion, the committee will mainstream climate actions across state policies, ensuring the integration of gender, youth, and disability considerations. It will also intensify climate education, capacity building, and public awareness programmes,” he further stressed.

Governor Mbah maintained that that the committee had been mandated to develop a comprehensive Climate Finance Plan, attract domestic and international funding, and publish its annual progress reports for transparency, accountability and evaluation.

While stating that the committee would brief the State Executive Council quarterly and submit an annual progress report to his office, he urged members to demonstrate professionalism, integrity, transparency, and inclusivity, describing the committee as “a key mechanism for translating Enugu’s climate vision into tangible action.”

Responding on behalf of the committee, the Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Prof. Sam Ugwu thanked the governor for the trust reposed in them and pledged that the team would work diligently to deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes for the state.

The 29-member team is chaired by the SSG, with the Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Prof. Sam Ugwu, and the Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Nathaniel Urama, serving as first and second vice chairmen, while the Senior Policy Adviser to the Governor on Climate Policy and Sustainable Development, Prof Chukwumerije Okereke, serves as secretary.

Other members include representatives of key MDAs—such as Environment, Energy, Agriculture, Transport, Finance, and Health—alongside academics, civil society groups, youth and women representatives, traditional leaders, and climate finance experts.

As the International Maritime Organization gathers to adopt its Net-Zero Framework, which includes a binding emissions-pricing mechanism, it must begin thinking about how to distribute the resulting revenues equitably. Ideally, the funds would be used to unlock Africa’s green-energy potential.

ABAKALIKI – In early September, African leaders convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the Second Africa Climate Summit, which focused on overcoming the obstacles to climate-resilient development on the continent. In their efforts to devise solutions, drive innovation, and attract financing, these leaders are reshaping global climate action. As part of that process, they are increasingly recognizing that decarbonizing shipping – an industry that generates nearly 3% of global greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions – could be a powerful catalyst for Africa’s green industrialization.

African governments have already emerged as key players in negotiations over reductions in shipping emissions. Earlier this year, they helped secure the approval of the Net-Zero Framework at the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations’ maritime regulator. Included in the framework is the world’s first binding pricing mechanism on GHG emissions from ships. This measure, which the IMO is expected to adopt formally at its upcoming October session, represents an important victory for multilateral climate action and signals the beginning of the end of shipping’s dependence on fossil fuels.

But the real test will be how this pivotal policy is designed and implemented over the next few years. For African governments, the biggest question is how the revenues generated from the IMO’s pricing mechanism, projected to be $10-15 billion per year by 2030, will be used.

If distributed equitably, these funds could help Africa close its huge energy gap, upgrade its port infrastructure and fleets, and invest in transmission networks and grids that could unlock our vast renewable-energy potential, especially in geothermal, wind, and solar. A resilient grid is also essential for the production of renewable hydrogen and other green e-fuels – the most promising long-term clean-energy solution for the shipping industry. This would likely provide a boost to Africa’s existing green-hydrogen projects and spur new ones, in the process accelerating industrialization, boosting GDP, and positioning the continent as a global energy exporter.

Until now, Africa has faced challenges in developing its abundant renewable resources largely because of the high cost of capital. African economies remain weighed down by unsustainable debt burdens and low credit ratings, which make it prohibitively expensive to invest in clean energy. Given the perceived risks, the continent currently receives only around 2% of global investment in renewables. But the revenues raised from the IMO’s new carbon-pricing mechanism could be used to lower initial costs, de-risk clean-energy investments, and pave the way for Africa to power global shipping.

Crucially, the IMO must support this drive to harness Africa’s renewable resources by creating strong incentives for e-fuels. Otherwise, cheaper options such as liquefied natural gas, which is far more destructive to the planet, and crop-based biofuels, which increase pressure on food systems, risk undercutting green hydrogen and impeding African countries’ efforts to achieve sustainable growth and development.

The increased use of biofuels would be particularly catastrophic for African countries. In my country, Nigeria, where millions of people already face acute hunger, diverting crops to create fuel for ships – often carrying goods and supplies bound for wealthy countries – would be both immoral and economically reckless. Generating biofuels would likely worsen food insecurity and increase deforestation, GHG emissions, and land degradation – in some cases, to a greater extent than fossil-fuel production.

Like many other African countries, Nigeria has everything it takes to become a leader in sustainable shipping fuels, including abundant sun and wind, and a young workforce. Now it just needs the right investments. If designed properly, the IMO’s framework could help provide the funds that Africa needs to ramp up its renewable-energy capacity. Failure to create an ambitious, equitable policy risks limiting Africa’s prospects.

As the IMO gathers in London this month to adopt its Net-Zero Framework, African countries must show the same leadership and determination as they did at the Second Africa Climate Summit. Ensuring that the continent reaps the benefits of the IMO’s new mechanism would be a remarkable example of international cooperation. A climate-resilient future is within reach, so long as African voices are heard, and taken seriously, on the global stage.