Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, will represent President Muhammadu Buhari at the upcoming Conference of the Parties 27 (COP 27).
This was disclosed by the Federal Ministry of Environment on Friday, November 4, through its official Twitter account.
COP 27 will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from November 6 to November 18, 2022. According to the announcement, President Buhari directed Abdullahi to represent him as the head of Nigeria’s delegation.
Representing Nigeria’s interest: The statement, seen by Nairametrics, explained that the minister is expected to host sessions on how to combat desertification. The focus would be on the ongoing efforts to build the Great Green Wall across the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The statement said:
- “The Minister is expected to represent the President at High-Level Sessions and also deliver Nigeria’s National Statement at COP27 plenary, attend bilateral and side meetings on Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan amongst other engagements.
- “As Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Pan African Great Green Wall (GGW), he is expected to host alongside the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Pan African Great Green Wall, a high-level meeting of Member States on the Great Green Wall.
- “Other Ministers to attend alongside the Minister of Environment, are Ministers of Water Resources, Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Agriculture and Rural Development, Power and Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and several Agencies of Government.”
COP 27 preparations: The Minister of Environment has been involved in several meetings and dialogues with partners across the board on framing a message to be presented by Nigeria at COP 27.
Some of these parties are:
- Nigerian youth climate activists on drought, loss and damage, afforestation, gender, and adaptation
- Officials from the Great Green Wall Nigeria on the National Tree Planting campaign
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) to understand how to restructure Nigeria’s Sovereign Green Bond into a model that encompasses private sector participation.
- Officials of the European Union (EU) to understand energy transition partnerships, biodiversity, climate financing, etc.
Nigeria’s plans for COP 27: Nigeria plans to have two panels on the country’s energy transition plan (ETP) at the upcoming COP 27.
- According to information on the official Twitter handle of the Energy Transition Plan, the panels will include; Energy Transition Plan (ETP) Project/Finance Panel and Advocacy/Governance Panel.
Cop 27 seeks to accelerate global climate action through emissions reduction, scaled-up adaptation efforts, and enhanced flows of appropriate finance. The event is organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
