In a bold move, Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, has urged Commonwealth nations to streamline access to international climate finance.
Speaking at the Commonwealth Roundtable on Climate Finance and Food Security in London, Nnaji emphasized that climate finance is crucial for sustainable land use and national development.
“Climate finance is a game-changer for sustainable land use and national development,” Nnaji said. “We must break down the bureaucratic barriers that hinder access to international funding.”
Nigeria is already taking action on climate change, with initiatives like the Nigeria Living Lands Initiative, which aims to restore 50,000 hectares of degraded land and generate up to $3,000 per hectare in farmer income.
The Minister stressed that the complexity of current climate finance frameworks often locks out developing nations from critical funds.
“We need to simplify the process and make climate finance accessible to all,” Nnaji said. “The future of our food security depends on it.”
Nigeria is leveraging the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub to unlock global climate finance for climate resilience projects.
The Minister also proposed a Commonwealth Centre for Climate-Smart Agriculture to share knowledge on innovative farming techniques and sustainable food production.
He called for simplified climate finance access, youth and women’s empowerment, and increased investments in carbon credit and sustainable agriculture.
“It’s time for us to rise to the challenge and move forward together,” Nnaji said.
