President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday told world leaders that Nigeria is mobilising climate finance through a newly activated carbon market framework expected to unlock between $2.5bn and $3bn annually over the next decade.
Speaking at the 2026 edition of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, themed ‘The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go,’ Tinubu said the country has taken “vigorous regulatory steps” to strengthen its climate governance.
This includes the adoption of the National Carbon Market Activation Policy and the launch of the National Carbon Registry to improve emissions reporting and verification.
“Nigeria feels at the heart of development opportunity.
“In this spirit, Nigeria has launched a climate and green industrialisation investment to unlock $20bn to $30 billion annually in climate finance,” the President said.
Tinubu cited the 2023 Electricity Act, which provides for decentralised, inclusive energy access to rural communities, off-grid health facilities, educational institutions, markets, and underserved areas.
He said the government is modernising Nigeria’s energy architecture to deploy sustainable power to these communities.
“Nigeria recognises the urgent need to deploy and advance technologies to improve green efficiency, modernise infrastructure, and accelerate the delivery of sustainable energy to underserved areas,” Tinubu said.
The President announced several financing initiatives: a climate investment platform targeting $500m for climate-resilient infrastructure, a national climate platform aiming to support $2bn in capital investment and a $50bn sub-regional green bond that was oversubscribed by 97.7 per cent.
Tinubu also highlighted the World Bank’s role, noting that the bank is implementing a $750m programme to expand clean electricity access to over 17.5 million people.
He said Nigeria’s energy transition plan includes “climate mitigation, industrial growth, and social development into a single coherent framework,” with a target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2060 while delivering universal energy access.
He called for partnerships with developed nations on technology transfer, knowledge exchange, and innovation, saying “the adoption of artificial intelligence to optimise efficiency is no longer a matter of the future.”
Nigeria approved the National Carbon Market Framework in October 2025.
The framework establishes rules for carbon credit registration, issuance, and verification. In November, the government operationalised the Climate Change Fund and restored the National Council on Climate Change to the federal budget.
The carbon market is designed to incentivise emissions reduction projects in forestry, renewable energy, clean cooking, and agriculture.
Nigeria submitted updated climate commitments to the United Nations in September 2025.
