Nigeria targets 840,000 jobs from climate transition, seeks investment at COP31
…NCCC says climate pledges must translate into projects, businesses and incomes
Nigeria will seek to attract climate investment and unlock up to 840,000 net new jobs by 2060 as it heads to the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), with the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) insisting that global climate commitments must translate into tangible economic benefits for Nigerians.
The country’s strategy is to convert climate finance pledges into deployable capital, attract investors into energy transition projects and expand opportunities in green industrialisation, carbon markets and emerging green value chains.
The Director-General of the NCCC, Tenioye Majekodunmi said at a pre-COP31 media briefing in Abuja on Thursday that Nigeria would use the conference in Antalya, Türkiye, to demonstrate its readiness to move from climate commitments to implementation, investment and measurable development outcomes.
She said Nigeria had strengthened its climate policy framework through its updated Nationally Determined Contribution, known as NDC 3.0, and its broader climate action and energy transition agenda, but stressed that the real test would be the delivery of results.
“Capital follows certainty,” the Director-General said, explaining that investors needed predictable policies, credible institutions, bankable projects and confidence that the rules would support long-term investments.
Nigeria’s opportunity at COP31, she said, was not merely to present its financing needs but also to showcase viable projects and partnerships through which investors and development partners could participate in the country’s climate transition.
The NCCC outlined a four-stage pathway for turning climate finance into economic benefits: “Dollars. Deals. Deliveries. Dividends.”
She explained that under the framework, finance commitments must translate into investment agreements, signed deals must result in projects delivered on the ground, and those projects must generate jobs, businesses and incomes for Nigerians.
The Director-General said the country’s climate transition must be judged not only by reductions in carbon emissions but also by its contribution to economic growth and improved livelihoods.
“Nigeria’s climate transition will not be measured only in tonnes of carbon avoided. It will be measured in jobs created, businesses built and incomes improved,” the official said.
Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan estimates about 340,000 net new jobs by 2030, rising to 840,000 by 2060, with opportunities concentrated in power, clean cooking and transport.
The NCCC said the projections underscored the economic potential of climate action, particularly for young Nigerians seeking employment and businesses looking to participate in emerging green industries.
The country will also pursue investment opportunities in green industrialisation, value addition and economic diversification, including those linked to critical minerals and emerging green value chains. It intends to strengthen opportunities under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which provides mechanisms for international cooperation on emissions reductions, while maintaining environmental integrity.
She said Nigeria would also advocate stronger access to climate finance and more effective pathways for converting global funding commitments into capital that developing countries can deploy to implement climate projects.
She added that the country would push for a just transition that recognises its development needs and energy-access realities, rather than treating climate action solely as an environmental issue.
The NCCC said Nigeria’s ability to secure these outcomes would depend partly on the preparedness of its negotiators to defend national interests and influence decisions shaping the global climate framework.
“A country that negotiates well captures resources, protects its interests and shapes outcomes. A country that negotiates poorly inherits terms written by others,” the Director-General said.
As part of preparations, Nigeria held a pre-COP31 briefing and negotiators’ capacity-building workshop on October 20, covering multilateral negotiating tracks, climate finance, loss and damage, carbon markets, Article 6 and the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance.
The workshop also examined the priorities of the Türkiye-Australia COP31 presidency and the Belém-Antalya Just Transition Mechanism.
The council said it had concluded the seventh and eighth UK PACT workshops on enhancing Nigeria’s capacity in global climate negotiations, held from October 26 to 28. The sessions focused on practical negotiation exercises covering the Just Transition Work Programme, the Mitigation Work Programme, climate finance, the Global Goal on Adaptation and Article 6.
Nigeria’s negotiators have also been working to establish their opening positions, potential compromise points and red lines to clarify the country’s objectives and protect its interests during negotiations.
The NCCC said it had continued its structured mentorship programme and introduced the Nigeria Climate Negotiator Network and a digital resource repository to preserve the expertise being developed beyond COP31.
Alongside preparations for the negotiations, the council announced the launch of its annual media training programme to improve journalists’ capacity to report climate change with greater accuracy, depth and context.
The programme will cover not only emissions and environmental impacts but also climate finance, energy transition, carbon markets, adaptation, green industrialisation, jobs and investment.
The Director-General said journalists had an important role in translating complex international negotiations into information Nigerians could understand and use, while connecting global climate decisions to local development needs.
Nigeria will also seek to strengthen Africa’s collective voice in climate negotiations as preparations begin for COP32, which is expected to provide a major platform for the continent’s climate priorities.
The NCCC said Africa’s climate agenda must remain connected to energy access, industrialisation, economic diversification, jobs and investment, while global climate finance mechanisms should provide developing countries with more effective access to funding.
The Director-General said Nigeria was going to COP31 prepared to negotiate, build partnerships and attract investment, with implementation serving as the measure of its climate ambition.
For Nigeria, the challenge will be to turn climate policies and international commitments into viable projects that expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve livelihoods.
The NCCC said its priority was to ensure that climate finance translated into investment and that investment delivered tangible prosperity for Nigerians.
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