APRI advocates integration of climate action into Nigeria’s economic planning to boost climate resilience

The African Policy Research Institute (APRI) has urged Nigerian policymakers to accelerate the integration of climate action into the country’s economic planning and budgeting processes to boost climate resilience, attract global finance.

According to the institute, the call comes as Nigeria struggles to attract sufficient climate finance, despite its commitments to climate action.

APRI highlighted that mainstreaming climate considerations across sectors is critical to building a sustainable, climate-resilient economy and meeting Nigeria’s development goals.

Chibuikem Agbaegbu, Nigeria Focal Person, APRI, speaking at a stakeholders dialogue and collaboration workshop in Abuja, said that the institute is also focused on how Nigeria can effectively implement its National Climate Change Policy (2021-2030) and overcome barriers to securing climate finance from global markets.

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“The global realities of climate change means that the landscape for finance and global geopolitics is changing significantly. As climate and ESG considerations become increasingly important in accessing finance from the Global North, plans that do not have climate action in view are finding it more difficult to attract financing.

“More so is the need by governments to demonstrate concrete efforts on mainstreaming climate in order to attract the level of climate finance and investments required to support their climate ambition. This includes clear policy direction and alignment, effective stakeholder coordination and collaboration, and an increasingly improving enabling environment for climate investments.

However, there are challenges with this in Nigeria.

Findings from the institute, also identified a lack of policy coherence, coordination, and planning across government institutions as major obstacles to attracting climate finance. Agbaegbu, disclosed that despite making international commitments, many Nigerian government agencies struggle to create a unified strategy that aligns with global climate finance standards.
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The institute revealed significant dissatisfaction among senior policymakers, particularly from the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning (FMBNP), over the country’s inability to access large pools of climate finance.

APRI therefore recommended that Nigeria adopt a mixed approach, incorporating both Green Budgeting (GB) and Climate-Resilient Budgeting (CRB) frameworks. These frameworks according to the institute will ensure that climate risks and adaptation measures are embedded in the national budget and public financial management systems.

“The Energy Transition Mapping Report, prepared by APRI for the government, clearly identified lack of adequate coordination across government, policy incoherence, poor planning and misaligned stakeholder interests, as underlying challenges. Recent APRI engagements with senior policy makers across government indicate significant levels of frustration at their inability to attract or access pools of climate finance, largely due to these challenges.

“The research briefs which will be discussed here today is one out of several efforts by APRI in providing evidence-based insights to inform government and key stakeholders on ways to improve policy coherence between Nigeria’s sectoral policies and initiatives, and its climate policies and initiatives. With the growing need to attract climate finance for Nigeria’s sustainable development and climate resilience, we need to demonstrate across sectors that we are making intentional efforts to mainstream climate into our economic development plans,”

Green Budgeting integrates environmental sustainability goals into government spending, while Climate-Resilient Budgeting prioritizes the country’s ability to cope with climate change’s adverse effects. APRI emphasized that the strategic involvement of Nigeria’s Ministries of Finance (MoFs) could significantly improve the mainstreaming of climate action throughout the national budget cycle.

In addition to policy recommendations, APRI called for the development of a National Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system to enhance Nigeria’s ability to track and utilize carbon financing tools, while ensuring alignment with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The institute explained further that climate action integration is particularly critical for Nigeria’s agricultural sector, which is vulnerable to climate impacts such as increased temperatures, erratic rainfall, and desertification.

APRI advised that the government focus on key climate mitigation strategies like organic agriculture, agroecology, and sustainable deforestation practices. It also urged increased funding for agricultural and climate adaptation programs, in line with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) 2022-2027.

The institute also recommended improving data collaboration with agencies like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) to ensure evidence-based climate action and collaborating with state governments to develop localized adaptation and energy transition plans was also emphasized.

APRI stated further that as Nigeria faces increasing global pressure to align with climate priorities, the role of finance ministries, data coordination, and stakeholder collaboration will be key to ensuring the country’s successful transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.