Government, CSOs to monitor climate efforts across Nigeria

The federal government has said that it is collaborating with some civil society organisation’s (CSOs) to assess, track and rank the efforts put in place by states and Local Government Areas (LGAs) as part of efforts to address climate change issues in the country.

The Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Mr. Dasuki Arabi made this known during a one-day stakeholders’ workshop on Climate Action Index (CAI) held in Abuja which was jointly organized by BPSR in partnership with the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) and Centre for Climate Action, Innovation and Engagement (CCAIE).

In his address, Arabi said that the CAI would help drive accountability, encourage competition and highlight best practices to be replicated across the country.

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“The Climate Action Index we introduce today is designed as a tool to assess, track, and rank sub-national climate efforts. This workshop aligns with Nigeria’s broader commitment under the Paris Agreement and Climate Change Act of 2021, towards ensuring that subnational climate actions are transparent, measurable and impactful. The CAI is an innovative initiative created to amongst others evaluate, rank and support subnational governments in Nigeria towards fulfilling the climate commitments,” he said.

According to Arabi, climate change remains one of the most defining challenges in the country, with direct consequences on the economy, environment and public well-being.

The Executive Director, CCAIE, Mr A’Aron John, said the centre in collaboration with CeFTPI, developed the CAI to identify implementation gaps, promote accountability and develop actionable road map towards a net-zero future. John regretted that Nigeria’s emissions increased by a Compound Annual Growth Rate of one per cent between 1990 and 2021.

“The pillars are climate action plan alignment with the federal targets, integration into state policies and implementation frameworks,” he said.

Story was adapted from Thisday.