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The President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, gave a speech at the COP28 World Summit in Dubai, asserting that Africa can become the world's green manufacturing powerhouse.
His speech read in parts: As the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I lead a country of more than 200 million people.
At the same time, in my role as Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), I preside over a region battling with security threats and socioeconomic challenges.
These pressing issues and their link to climate change were at the forefront of my mind during my participation at the COP28 World Climate Action Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
COP28 marked a critical milestone with the first Global Stocktake on implementing the Paris Agreements, a comprehensive review and inventory that allows each country to assess its progress in reducing emissions and achieving climate goals.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, has battled back against major obstacles, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, short-term challenges from economic reforms, and the ongoing unification of foreign exchange rates. However, we remain steadfast in our resolve to reconstruct a better, cleaner nation despite these challenges.
To uphold our legally binding commitment to a cleaner world, Nigeria launched the Nigerian Carbon Market Initiative at COP28 by joining the African Carbon Market Initiative.
The Intergovernmental Panel’s Sixth Assessment Report, released earlier this year, underscores the inadequacy and slowness of global efforts against climate change. It remains clear that developing nations, despite contributing minimally to the problem, endure most of its impacts.
We all want to solve the problem, but too few of us are currently willing to do our fair share.
Nigeria has taken significant steps and acted decisively in enacting the Climate Change Act and committing to net-zero emissions between 2050 and 2070.
