Nigeria now has a Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Action. Thirty-year-old Ajuri Ngelale has just been appointed to the post by Head of State Bola Tinubu. His mission: “to guide Africa’s most populous nation (population 220 million, according to World Bank figures) towards a resilient and sustainable future”.
The journalist Ajuri Ngelale, who until now has been spokesman for the Nigerian presidency, will represent the federal government in negotiations and climate events on a global scale. Nigeria is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, the 2015 Paris Agreement and other international texts on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Unfortunately, the West African country is better known for its industrial and port dynamism, which exacerbates air pollution in its main cities, notably the capital Abuja and the metropolis Lagos. These areas have not escaped floods and droughts in recent years, despite national efforts.
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Nevertheless, the appointment of a special envoy for the climate in Nigeria is a strong message in terms of political will. It comes just a few months after the appointment of Tariye Gbadegesin as President and CEO of the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) based in Washington, USA. The Nigerian, the first African to hold this position, is in charge of an $11 billion portfolio funded by the multilateral development banks (MDBs) and the Group of 20 most developed countries (G20). The aim is to promote nature-based solutions and the energy transition in 72 countries, including Nigeria.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi