Search Climate Insights Directory

Nigeria's economy is heavily reliant on oil, which accounts for roughly 50% of the national budget and over 90% of foreign exchange earnings. This dependency has led to 'Dutch Disease', severe environmental degradation in the Niger Delta, and fiscal fragility due to oil price volatility. With global oil demand projected to peak by 2030, the report argues for an urgent transition. It recommends diversifying into solar and hydro power, agro-processing, green manufacturing, and the digital economy. Key policy proposals include establishing a National Economic Diversification Master Plan, redirecting fossil fuel subsidy savings toward green investment, and joining a Fossil Fuel Treaty to secure transition finance and debt resolution.

The report examines the strategic partnership between Nigeria and China within the context of Nigeria's energy transition. It highlights a shift in Chinese engagement from 'debt-heavy, state-directed mega-projects' to 'smaller, more commercially oriented and locally embedded projects' under a 'BRI 2.0' approach. While Nigeria faces severe energy gaps—with peak generation at 5.7 GW against a 20 GW demand—it aims for universal electricity access by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060. The report details specific collaborations in solar assembly, battery manufacturing, and green hydrogen, while advising Nigeria to 'stack' diverse capital sources from China, the EU, and the US to avoid geopolitical zero-sum traps. It concludes that Nigeria must strengthen institutional coordination to address asymmetries in bargaining power and ensure technology transfer.

The document analyzes Nigeria's transport sector, which is heavily dependent on fossil fuels and accounts for 24% of national GHG emissions. It evaluates current policies, emerging green initiatives like the P-CNGI and Lagos E-Mobility Project, and provides recommendations for integrating climate action into national transport planning, drawing on lessons from Ethiopia and Kenya.

FSDAi invested in the International Housing Solutions (IHS) Kenya Affordable Green Housing Fund to finance EDGE-certified homes for low- and middle-income households, targeting 4,000 homes by 2030. To drive systemic change, FSDAi mandated an Open Source Policy and funded the Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa (CAHF) to lead an Open Access Initiative (OAI). This initiative collects and disseminates market intelligence on construction costs and project delivery to attract institutional capital and guide policymakers. The OAI has also enabled the tracking of six Kenyan State Department for Housing and Urban Development projects and the creation of the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Dashboard.

The report examines the intersection of climate change and food security in Nigeria, highlighting how extreme weather, conflict, and poor infrastructure threaten agricultural productivity. It analyzes the alignment of the FMAFS Road Map, NATIP, and the NDC, while identifying critical gaps in budget utilization and policy coordination. The document advocates for a shift toward community-led, climate-smart agriculture and improved financial transparency to achieve long-term resilience.

The document describes a project running from November 2025 to December 2026 aimed at helping Nigerian transport-related businesses transition to low-carbon operations. It highlights that the transport sector accounts for over 25% of Nigeria's GHG emissions and identifies significant barriers for SMEs in accessing climate finance. The initiative provides training, technical guidance for bankable projects, and support for carbon market engagement to improve business competitiveness and public health.

The project targets SMEs in logistics, infrastructure, and transport in Nigeria to address the lack of technical capacity and finance that hinders climate action. It aims to provide tools for emissions measurement, climate-aligned investment planning, and regulatory alignment with Nigeria's Climate Change Act and NDCs. The initiative is implemented through five workstreams, including the development of carbon market toolkits and B2G dialogue reports, focusing on project locations in Abuja and Enugu.

The report outlines the design of a proposed Country Platform for Nigeria's energy transition, arguing that the framework must be state-owned, politically anchored, and integrated with national development goals rather than being a donor-driven replica of other JETPs. It identifies critical needs for high-level presidential leadership, vertical coordination with oil-producing states, and the resolution of institutional bottlenecks that hinder the disbursement of climate finance. The proposed platform emphasizes a 'people-centred transition' that prioritizes job creation, energy access, and social protection for displaced workers, while strategically navigating global geopolitical pressures such as the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

The report argues that rapid declines in battery costs have made near-continuous solar power (24/365 generation) an economic reality in sunny regions. In cities like Las Vegas, achieving 97% reliability for a constant power supply is now cost-competitive at $104/MWh, which is cheaper than new coal and nuclear power. The analysis demonstrates that a relatively small amount of storage—approximately 17 kWh of battery for every 1 kW of stable 24-hour power—is sufficient for most sunny locations. This shift allows solar to support 24/7 clean energy contracts for energy-intensive industries and significantly reduces the need for expensive grid expansions by allowing more capacity to be installed behind existing connections.

Solaris is a Nigerian clean energy startup founded in 2021 that provides solar booths, energy bulbs, and micro-energy kits to rural and urban communities. The company employs a 'energy as a service' model and a lease-to-own system for youth entrepreneurs. Despite facing gender bias, funding hurdles, and bureaucratic delays in importing components, Solaris has deployed over ten solar solutions and sold more than 3,000 Pico kits. The company focuses on youth capacity building, having trained over 50 individuals in solar system design and maintenance, and plans to establish a green technology hub incorporating waste management.

The Borno Model represents a shift from militarized, coercive approaches to a more humane, locally-owned framework for managing defections from Boko Haram factions. While it has successfully processed 160,000 exits by March 2024 through inclusive family-based reception and community engagement, it faces critical challenges including severe under-funding of livelihood support, a lack of transparent operational guidelines, and design flaws that risk reuniting women with their former captors.

The report analyzes the Oko Oba Abattoir's anaerobic digestion (AD) facility, finding that while the current 'business-as-usual' (BAU) model is economically viable with a 6% IRR, scaling the facility to achieve a 100% fuel switch from charcoal to biogas would increase the IRR to 14%. The study highlights that high upfront capital expenditures (CAPEX) are a primary barrier to private investment, suggesting that grants, low-interest loans, and investment tax credits could improve project economics. Environmentally, the project reduces methane emissions by up to 726 MT/year and improves local air quality by avoiding PM2.5 emissions from charcoal burning. The facility is currently non-operational due to storm damage and requires approximately $21,400 for repairs.

RMI is implementing diverse decentralized energy solutions in Nigeria to address the fact that over 85 million people lack sustainable electricity. The organization has deployed interconnected minigrids in locations like Zawaciki, Abuja, and Nasarawa, and a community-centric 'Sharing the Power' model in Mokoloki where residents co-own the facility. To ensure economic viability, the Energizing Agriculture Programme (EAP) integrates solar power with agricultural machinery, such as electric mills and cold storage, across 17 communities. RMI also targets industrial emissions through commercial and industrial minigrids, which can reduce carbon pollution by approximately 33 million tons per year. Additionally, the Energy Transition Academy (ETA) provides technical training to utility professionals to scale these initiatives.

The report details the compilation of pilot ecosystem accounts for Kaduna and Nasarawa states in Nigeria between 2015 and 2020. Using the SEEA-EA framework and ARIES AI technology, the study estimated biophysical supply for climate regulation (carbon storage), soil retention, crop production, pollination, and water supply. Findings indicate that while total carbon stocks and soil retention remained relatively stable, there were significant shifts in land cover, including an increase in deciduous broadleaf forests and a loss of shrublands. The report emphasizes the lack of local geo-referenced data and the need for an institutional framework to support independent national environmental accounting.

The Nigeria Energy Transition & Investment Plan Update (ETIP 2.0) outlines a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2060, requiring a total installed power capacity of 277 GW and an additional capital investment of approximately $500 billion USD above business-as-usual levels. The plan emphasizes a massive shift toward solar PV, which is projected to reach 209 GW by 2050, and the phasing out of diesel decentralized generators by 2030. In the transport sector, the plan envisions a transition where electric vehicles make up at least 80% of the fleet by 2050, while the cooking sector aims for universal access by 2030, eventually transitioning to e-cooking. Despite the high upfront costs, the transition is projected to result in fuel savings of $686 billion USD. Key barriers identified include high initial costs for EVs and e-cooking, unreliable grid supply, and a skills gap in green technologies.

The report details a training workshop held in Abuja, Nigeria, from April 22–26, 2024, aimed at enhancing gender inclusivity within the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector. Based on a needs assessment and participant exercises, the workshop identified systemic barriers to women's participation, such as cultural practices and gender-blind programming, and proposed a gender-responsive formalization strategy. Key recommendations include revising mining laws, establishing microgrant schemes, and creating multistakeholder bodies to monitor gender-responsive policies.

The Gambia's democratic transition is stalled due to the National Assembly's 2020 rejection of a draft constitution that would have limited President Adama Barrow to two terms and curtailed presidential powers. Because the country continues to operate under the 1997 'Jammeh Constitution', Barrow remains legally eligible for a third term in 2026, a prospect that threatens to deepen political tensions and potentially necessitate ECOWAS intervention.

The proposal requests USD 613,699.15 over 18 months to address critical capacity gaps in Nigeria's National Designated Authority (NDA). Key objectives include establishing a coordination mechanism, developing a GCF country program, creating a monitoring and evaluation framework, and drafting two project concept notes for mitigation and adaptation. The project will be implemented by the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk-sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) in collaboration with the NCCC.

Nigeria faces a significant housing shortage of 17 million units, with a projected need for 700,000 units annually by 2050. The report finds that the policy environment for net zero carbon buildings is fragmented, lacking an overarching national strategy. While some financial instruments like concessional loans and green bonds are well-established, many others remain nascent or unused. The most severe barriers are political (lack of regulations and standards) and financial (lack of affordable finance and awareness of funding). The report recommends five priority areas: embodied carbon and materials, appliances and lighting, cooling, electricity generation, and clean cooking, proposing specific financial and policy pathways to scale these solutions.

The report examines the challenges facing Nigeria's energy transition, noting that economic crises and security issues have marginalised climate action in political discourse. It suggests that the government can drive renewable energy adoption by reinstating VAT and import duty exemptions for solar components and by completing the Presidential Power Initiative to improve grid stability. The author argues for a realistic energy vision that avoids suboptimal pathways and leverages existing agricultural networks for climate-smart interventions.