Two institutions have entered into partnership towards increasing public awareness and engagement with Nigeria’s climate change plan. The partnership between Centre for Climate Change and Development (CCCD) of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike, Ikwo (AEFUNAI), Ebonyi State and World Resources Institute (WRI) will boost ongoing revision process of the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which is due for submission in November 2020.
Titled “Promoting critical analysis and stakeholders’ engagement with the revision of Nigeria’s NDC,” the project is a one-year initiative that commences from July 2020 and will, according to Project Coordinator, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, help to widen the horizon of the discourse and compliment the current government led NDC revision process.
“Given that the NDC revision process has already started and is slated to be completed by November 2020, the immediate commencement of this project is highly desirable, to enable the capture of the analytical pieces and engage the public and critical stakeholders to incorporate their views into the window ending September 2020,” said Okereke, a Professor in Environment and Development at University of Reading in UK, and Director of the AEFUNAI Centre for Climate Change and Development.
Besides commissioning insightful short analysis on several topics relevant for the Nigerian NDC as well as organising and promoting stakeholder engagement and public debate on relevant issues, the project will embark on targeted public awareness and media campaigns to disseminate the information and stimulate the engagement of the wider public in the NDC revision and, eventually in its implementation afterwards.
According to Okereke, experts will be commissioned to write a 3,000-word article on each of the selected topics, which he listed to include: “Assessment of implementation of the original NDC and the new ambition intent”, “Extent of alignment of the NDC with the national economic development plan”, “Energy scenarios for Nigerian’s revised NDC”, “Improving emission reduction from transport sector of Nigeria’s NDC”, “Options for promoting climate-smart agriculture in the new NDC,” and “Public financial management and budgeting for the NDC”.
Others are “Public investment risks and opportunities in the NDC,”, “The potential role for private sector involvement in the NDC”, “Analysis of the adaptation components of the NDC”, “Technology, innovation need implications of the NDC”, “The NDC, post COIVD-19 economic stimulus and a just green transition”, and “Legal perspectives to raising ambition and implementing the NDC”.
“The desire to have informative figures, graphs and charts wherever possible would be emphasised. In addition, they will produce a short summary of the key points of their analysis,” Okereke emphasised, adding that the pieces will be peer reviewed.
Nigeria NDC promises 20 per cent unconditional emission reduction and 45 per cent conditional emissions by 2030 compared to 2010 based line scenario. The NDC is built on the appealing philosophy of pursing socio-economic development while reducing carbon pollution.
Under the ongoing revision process, the Federal Government with the support of the NDC Partnership (of which WRI is a member) through the Climate Action Enhancement Package (CAEP), has outlined a plan to revise and submit an updated NDC by November 2020.The Guardian
