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Nigerian Civil Society giant, the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), is convening a key engagement among African climate change stakeholders as the continent prepares for COP30 in Belém.

Despite only 13 out of 54 African countries having submitted their NDCs 3.0, the main hindrances can be attributed to limited time, technical capacity gaps, and inadequate financing.

As countries work to close these gaps before submission, it is important to reflect on the development process, and most importantly, implementation needs. These would help shape Africa’s stance and messaging at COP30.

SPP is therefore convening a multi-country stakeholders’ webinar to discuss the NDCs situation in Africa, with the view of interrogating how COP30 can be leveraged to advance practical efforts that will support implementation.

The event, scheduled for 11a.m West African Time on Friday, 31 October, 2025, seeks to bring African stakeholders together to discuss the current landscape of national climate commitments (NDCs) in Africa, hindrances to effective implementation, the intersection between NDCs implementation and sustainable development, key messaging for COP30, etc.

Entitled “COP30: Coordinating Ambitious NDCs Development and Implementation in Africa”, the virtual webinar will feature a presentation on Africa’s current NDCs landscape, interrogate the governance framework that should guide NDCs development and implementation in the continent, highlight country, gender, and youth experiences and solutions, and recommend what should be the focus of African countries during negotiations and bilateral at COP30. While this year has been mostly dominated by conversations on NDCS 3.0, submissions as at 1st October, 2025, still leaves a gap of over 30GtCO2e. What that means is that either the remaining countries overstretch their ambitions or the 61 that already submitted retrieve theirs and increase ambition, the path to reaching expected goals will include ensuring that implementation goes beyond commitments.

Several experts have identified that exploring other options for emissions reduction can help enhance the final reduction output by 2035. Yet little has been said about supporting the conditional targets of developing countries, which can help expand targets.

This webinar seeks to discuss all of these issues while framing a message that can help guide Africa’s multilateral and bilateral engagements at COP30, recognising the key intersection between climate action and Africa’s sustainable development.

Speakers include: Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, President, SPP (Host), Iskander Erzini Vernoit, Executive Director, IMAL Initiative for Climate and Development, Gbemisola Titilope Akosa, Executive Director, Centre For 21st Century Issues (C21st), Samuel C. Okorie, UNFCCC Santiago Network Advisory Board Member, Youth Rep, Peter Odhengo, Head of Climate Finance and Green Economy Unit, Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) Programme, Kenya; Tirivanhu Muhwati, Climate Scientist in the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Zimbabwe, Gboyega Olorunfemi, Project Lead, SPP, and Nnaemeka Oruh, Senior Policy Analyst (Climate Change), SPP.

Register to join the event here: https://shorturl.at/uLZ17

The Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change (DCC), Federal Ministry of Environment, continued its capacity-building workshop for Climate Desk Officers and Directors of Climate Change from Nigeria’s subnational governments. The workshop which began on 22 October 2025 with a session on data collection and greenhouse-gas inventory evaluation and reporting, focused on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of climate projects in the second series. Participating Climate Change Desk Officers shared their M&E experience, revealing a mix of beginners and intermediate exposure to M&E practice.

Facilitated by Mr. Gboyega Olorunfemi, Project Lead at SPP, the training sought to address the challenges in monitoring and evaluating climate change projects at the state level, with an emphasis on designing effective monitoring systems and digital tools. Mr. Olorunfemi explained, that adopting effective M&E framework will improve evidence-based decision-making, accountability and project delivery, and help states tell a clearer, more accurate climate story that can unlock climate finance at the subnational level, where it’s needed most.

Delivering the training, Olorunfemi explained the differences between monitoring and evaluation in project management, emphasizing that monitoring focuses on tracking progress and improving efficiency, while evaluation assesses the effectiveness of policy impacts. He presented a simple M&E framework — inputs, outputs, outcomes and impacts — and used a climate-resilience project as an example to show how actions can translate into measurable change at the subnational level. The workshop also covered practical indicators and quality-management measures to ensure project activities deliver intended results.

The DCC Director, Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, represented by Ms. Dolapo John, in her remark stated that the training was as a result of popular demand from engagement with the subnational officials, adding that the Department of Climate Change is committed to strengthening the capacity of subnational Directors and the Desk Officers.

“Monitoring and Evaluation is a very key issue, because one of the gaps we identified in the second subnational governance ranking was documentation. Most of the states do not have sufficient or efficient means of documenting their activities. That’s why you see states that were up in ranking last year now declined in this year’s ranking.” she said.

Following the second subnational governance ranking, several states across the country are tackling capacity shortfalls and pursuing improvements. This training provides officials with the technical skills required to improve state-level climate governance. This is an initiative of SPP that has received support from the European Climate Foundation (ECF) and it continues with capacity building on Climate Finance in the next phase.

In recent years, Nigeria has been feeling the impact of climate change in more visible and severe ways, and one of the most pressing challenges is extreme heat. Temperatures across the country are rising faster than ever, with prolonged periods of heat pushing both people and infrastructure to their limits. Heatwaves and high-temperature days are no longer rare events, and they carry significant risks for people’s health especially for vulnerable groups like the elderly, children, pregnant women, and outdoor workers. 

Extreme heat kills more people globally than any other weather hazard, yet it remains one of Nigeria’s most underestimated public health threats. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) already provides heat advisories and forecasts, while health agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and state or local health authorities also share related public health messages. On paper, this looks like a functional system, one where science informs policy and policy informs the public. But in practice, things are not working well, and lives are being lost as a result.

When Abuja’s temperature hit 39°C earlier this year, the city seemed to melt into silence. Pedestrians slowed down, children huddled under kiosks for shade, and even the evening air felt heavy. Yet amid the sweltering heat, there was little to no public guidance, no clear warning about what was coming or how to cope. This silence reflects a dangerous communication gap in Nigeria’s climate response: we are forecasting the heat but not communicating it effectively.

While NiMet provides forecasts and health agencies issue advisories, there is no clearly defined chain of responsibility that determines who triggers what once an alert is released. The result is confusion; forecasts remain in reports or social media posts without being translated into clear, actionable steps for communities. This lack of coordination is not bureaucratic inconvenience; it is a public health threat. Without a structured response system, hospitals remain unprepared for heat-related illnesses, schools carry on normal schedules in unsafe conditions, and communities are left without practical guidance.

Countries like India and the United Kingdom show that it can be done differently. In India’s Ahmedabad city, once a heat alert is declared, every sector from hospitals and schools to radio stations knows exactly what to do. In the United Kingdom, the Met Office’s color-coded heat-health alerts automatically trigger actions across institutions: care homes activate cooling plans, hospitals prepare for heat-related admissions, and the public receives simple, actionable instructions. Nigeria needs the same sense of urgency and organization.

Another challenge is how heat warnings are written and delivered. Many NiMet advisories are technically sound but difficult for the average Nigerian to understand. Phrases like “heat stress index” and “temperature values remain high” sound scientific but offer little guidance. A warning that cannot be acted upon is as dangerous as no warning at all.

Nigeria must therefore adopt a plain-language approach to all heat advisories; one that tells people exactly what to do, when to do it, and why. Instead of vague phrases like “take precautions,” advisories should clearly say, “Drink water every hour, even if you’re not thirsty,” or “Avoid strenuous outdoor work between noon and 3 p.m.” These messages must be translated into Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Pidgin, and tailored for vulnerable groups such as outdoor workers, students, and the elderly. Communication should not only inform but instruct – clearly, simply, and immediately.

The communication gap is also structural. Nigeria’s system relies heavily on national media and online platforms, which fail to reach rural communities and informal settlements; the areas most exposed to heat. Many outdoor workers have little internet access or awareness of official advisories. When temperatures soar, they are left to cope alone.

To fix this, messages must reach people through the channels they trust. Community radio, religious institutions, traditional rulers, and market associations are powerful platforms for local communication. In India, for example, community radio stations broadcast daily heat-safety tips, while volunteers share leaflets in local languages. Nigeria can replicate this easily. Ministries of Health and SEMAs can partner with radio stations and local health officers to deliver short, repeated, relatable messages. Churches and mosques can share heat-safety reminders during announcements. Posters and jingles can spread awareness faster than a press release ever will.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that every country develop a comprehensive Heat–Health Action Plan that links forecasting, early warning, healthcare response, and public communication. Nigeria currently has no such plan, leaving agencies to act in isolation and communities unprotected. Developing a national framework is an urgent necessity. Such a plan could be anchored by a “Heat Action Chain”, a simple, one-page guide mapping who does what within 24 to 48 hours of a NiMet alert. Once a warning is issued, the Federal Ministry of Health should immediately notify state and local health departments, which in turn activate primary health centers and community broadcasters. Messages would begin circulating within hours, not days. The faster people hear, the faster they act.

As climate change intensifies, the heat will continue to rise; but the silence around it must not. Forecasting alone will not save lives; communication will. Every uncommunicated alert is a missed opportunity to protect Nigerians from preventable harm.

The next time NiMet issues a heat advisory, it must not end as a headline or a tweet. It should reach the people who sell under the sun, walk to work, or sleep without power. It should come in a language they understand, through voices they trust, with actions they can take. The heat is already here. What remains to be seen is whether our response will catch up or whether Nigeria will continue to be caught unprepared in the rising silence of the sun.

By Kamdi Chike-Nwaka

Society for Planet and Prosperity

The Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) and the Department of Climate Change (DCC) of the Federal Ministry of Environment have trained climate change Desk Officers from the 36 states of the federation on Greenhouse Gas Inventory Compilation and Emission Reporting. The training followed the release of the 2025 Subnational Climate Governance Performance Rating and Ranking and is designed to strengthen technical capacity, improve data quality and reporting standards, and deepen federal–state collaboration on emissions accounting and reporting.

In her opening remarks, the Director of DCC, Dr Iniobong Abiola-Awe, reminded the Desk Officers of the importance of prioritizing the fight against climate change at the subnational level and maintaining accurate data collection methods.

Dr. Abiola-Awe emphasized the need to foster inter-agency collaboration and align budgets with national and state priorities. She encouraged participants to collaborate, share experiences, and commit to practical actions to strengthen national climate capabilities and contribute to regional and international commitments.

“As you embark on this journey of capacity building, I encourage the spirit of collaboration and openness, share experiences respectfully, and commit to practical and result-oriented action,” she said.

The training, which was facilitated by SPP’s Executive Director, Mr. Edwin Oghenemere Orugbo, covered the IPCC framework, emission accounting principles, and the process of data collection and estimation.

Participants were encouraged to engage in practical sessions and interactive discussions to gain more in-depth knowledge of the topic.

In his presentation, Mr Orugbo emphasized the importance of climate action and the basics for attracting climate finance. He also discussed the gases of concern, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, and the need to consider all greenhouse gases when compiling inventories at the state level.

According to Mr Orugbo, the IPCC greenhouse gas inventory framework and emission accounting principles consider four main source categories: energy, industrial processes, agriculture/forestry, and waste, along with the core principles of transparency, accuracy, consistency, and comparability. He detailed the process of data collection and emission factor calculations, including a basic calculation formula for determining greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Orugbo stressed the need to capture metadata for each dataset and use reliable sources for emission factors, such as the UNFCCC and IPCC websites. The discussion highlighted the role of subnational inventories in enabling data-driven climate policies and the importance of collaboration for sustainability and transparency.

The participants shared their opinions on the necessary institutional arrangements, including legal frameworks, data sharing protocols, and partnerships between state MDAs. They outlined technical requirements, including data management systems, estimation tools, and field monitoring equipment, as well as the need for a dedicated Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification coordinator and sector-specific data officers. They also highlighted the importance of proper quality assurance/quality control procedures and metadata management, while addressing capacity building needs for training on IPCC methodologies and data collection procedures as some of their immediate needs to ensure that they can develop and manage GHG emission inventory at the subnational level.

Responding to their queries on behalf of DCC, Dolapo John, Principal Scientific Officer at DCC, promised the department’s readiness in supporting the states with the capacity needs, using the IPCC software.

The greenhouse gas inventory compilation and emission reporting session is one of a series of capacity-building trainings organized by the Society for Planet and Prosperity to equip subnational Desk Officers with the right knowledge to ensure climate resilience is sustained at the subnational level. This session was moderated by Mr Timothy Ogenyi, Senior Policy Analyst (Climate Change), SPP.

Next in the series of SPP’s intervention on capacity building for the subnational are trainings on “Designing Effective Monitoring & Evaluation Systems for State Climate Action” and “Climate Finance.” SPP is committed to this laudable initiative with support from the European Climate Foundation (ECF).

 

– Ugochukwu Uzuegbu

Communication officer, SPP

– Elochukwu Anieze

Senior Policy Analyst, SPP