Nigeria Sets Bold Target: Shettima Declares 32% Emission Cut By 2035 At COP30

According to Ireporter Online, Nigeria has announced an ambitious plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent by the year 2035, reaffirming its leadership role in Africa’s climate action efforts. Vice President Kashim Shettima made this declaration while representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Leaders’ Climate Summit during the COP30 conference in Belém, Brazil.

Shettima explained that the new target underscores Nigeria’s firm commitment to sustainable development and global environmental responsibility. The initiative will be anchored on two major programmes—the National Carbon Market Framework and the Climate Change Fund—both aimed at driving multi-billion-dollar investments in clean energy and climate adaptation, particularly across vulnerable communities.

Highlighting the government’s newly launched five-year Carbon Market Roadmap, the Vice President said it would establish an Emissions Trading System and a Carbon Tax Regime to encourage industries to adopt sustainable innovations.

Calling for greater accountability from developed nations, Shettima urged global leaders to ensure that COP30 becomes a defining moment in shifting from promises to tangible climate action. He warned that climate change has already triggered significant loss and displacement across the world, stressing that developing nations “cannot meet climate goals on goodwill alone.”

He further emphasized the need for a fair and reliable global financial architecture that reflects the realities of developing countries, insisting that Africa is “not the problem but part of the solution.”

Shettima also pointed to Nigeria’s Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which outlines actions across energy, transport, agriculture, waste management, and industry. He reaffirmed the Decade of Gas Strategy as a transition framework that combines gas utilization with the expansion of solar power to accelerate rural electrification and sustainable growth.

According to the Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Mrs. Tenioye Majekodunmi, Nigeria’s early submission of its NDC 3.0 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) makes it the first West African country to do so, cementing its position as a regional frontrunner in climate ambition.

Majekodunmi described COP30 as a pivotal “implementation summit,” stating that Nigeria’s focus has shifted “from paper to projects.” She added that the recent approval of the National Carbon Market Framework and the operationalisation of the National Climate Change Fund have enhanced investor confidence, positioning Nigeria as an attractive destination for credible carbon investments.

She further revealed that the Belem summit offers a “global matchmaking platform” for Nigeria to demonstrate its readiness for sustainable climate financing and to strengthen South–South cooperation—particularly among the Amazon, Congo, and Guinea forest regions—on environmental preservation.

In a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, it was affirmed that Nigeria’s presence at COP30 reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate action.

Nkwocha reiterated that Nigeria’s climate roadmap demonstrates transparency and accountability in accordance with Article 13 of the Paris Accord, while reinforcing the government’s determination to achieve a 32 percent emissions reduction by 2035. Vice President Shettima is also scheduled to deliver Nigeria’s national address at the leaders’ plenary and participate in high-level discussions on “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans” alongside other global leaders.