Nigeria Calls for Private Investment in Climate Adaptation

The federal government of Nigeria, through Minister of Environment Balarabe Lawal, has urged for stronger partnerships and increased private-sector investment to close the climate adaptation gap in the country. This call was made during a stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja focused on Nigeria’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) for development partners and the private sector.

Lawal, represented by Permanent Secretary Dr. Salihu Usman, stated that government alone cannot achieve the necessary resilience to protect communities and infrastructure from climate change impacts.

He highlighted several strategic frameworks established by the government, including the Climate Change Act and the National Adaptation Plan, which aims to integrate climate adaptation into national and sectoral planning. Lawal emphasized the need for innovative financing mechanisms, technology transfer, and sustained investment, warning that adaptation requires mainstreaming climate risk into development planning.

He acknowledged the contributions of development partners and assured the private sector of the government's commitment to creating an enabling environment for climate-related investments.