Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
In their bid to implement the Net Zero Nature Positive (NZNP) Project, a landmark initiative aimed at advancing Nigeria’s climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development goals, stakeholders from government, development agencies, private sector, and local communities have pledged strong collaboration and shared ownership.
The project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), seeks to demonstrate how climate action and nature restoration can work together to deliver lasting benefits for people and the planet.
At the inception workshop held in Abuja, the project director, CMAP, Michael Uwemedimo underscored the importance of collaboration and local participation as the foundation for the project’s success.
“This project presents a crucial opportunity to catalyse transformative change towards a regenerative, climate-resilient, and biodiverse future in Nigeria,” Uwemedimo said. “To achieve this, we must go beyond business-as-usual and engage diverse stakeholders, especially at the grassroots, as active partners in co-creating solutions.”
He explained that the strength of the NZNP Project lies in demonstrating how net-zero and nature-positive goals can reinforce each other by linking climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation through practical, community-driven action.
Uwemedimo said the implementation will focus on four priorities. These include clear definition of roles and responsibilities among government, civil society, communities and private sector to ensure accountability and efficiency; strong linkages between policy and field implementation through constant feedback between national frameworks and local projects; balance between ambition, bankability and equity in project design to ensure sustainability; and integrity in carbon markets through credible monitoring, reporting and verification systems that build investor confidence and community trust.
He urged partners to move swiftly on the responsible party processes and ensure sustainability is built into the project from inception rather than being an end-stage aspiration.
Representing the private sector, mapping, and carbon science lead at West Africa Blue, Ebuka Nwobi reaffirmed his organisation’s commitment to contribute both technical expertise and financial resources to the NZNP Project.
“We fully recognise that this is a direct and powerful investment in Nigeria’s future,” Nwobi said. “Our focus is on the Niger Delta’s mangrove ecosystems — vital natural infrastructure that we aim to restore through precision science and sustainable financing.”
He noted that the project’s success depends on collaboration and local ownership, stressing that West Africa Blue would work closely with UNDP, implementing partners and host communities to develop a model for blue carbon investment in Nigeria.
In his remarks, the assistant conservator-general National Park Service, Oladipo Ojo, commended the spirit of collaboration behind the initiative and reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to its success.
“This landmark initiative embodies our dedication to environmental sustainability and the well-being of communities in Bayelsa and Rivers states,” Ojo said. “The two newly approved National Parks in Bayelsa State will play an important role in achieving the project’s goals.”
He praised the GEF, UNDP and the Federal Ministry of Environment’s department of forestry for their partnership, describing the NZNP Project as a symbol of synergy and shared responsibility that aligns with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
As stakeholders continued discussions on project governance, financing, and field implementation, the workshop emphasised that the NZNP Project’s success would depend on collective action, transparency, and active community participation.
“The real opportunity is collective,” Uwemedimo said. “Let’s use this inception phase to build not just workplans but genuine collaborative capacity.”
The NZNP Project is expected to serve as a national model for integrating climate action, ecosystem restoration, and inclusive development, ensuring that Nigeria’s path to net zero remains nature positive and people-centred.
Representing the UNDP resident representative, Elsie Attafuah, the deputy resident representative (operations), Blessed Chirimuta, described the project as a bold global initiative to transform Nigeria’s environmental future.
“Today, we gather not only to launch a project but to ignite a movement that reflects Nigeria’s bold commitments to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2060 and conserve 30 per cent of its land and marine ecosystems by 2030,” he said.
Attafuah reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to partner with the Federal Ministry of Environment, UNEP, state governments, and local communities to deliver tangible outcomes that restore dignity to communities long burdened by environmental loss.
She stressed that the NZNP project aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s climate and green growth agenda, including the implementation of Nigeria’s revised Nationally Determined Contributions and Energy Transition Plan.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the director of forestry, Federal Ministry of Environment, Halima Bawa-Bwari, highlighted Nigeria’s leadership as one of 12 pioneering countries implementing the NZNP initiative.
“Climate change and biodiversity loss are no longer distant threats — they are realities that affect our people and economy,” she said. “This programme offers a platform to accelerate Nigeria’s efforts in ecosystem restoration, strengthen coordination, and unlock investments for low-carbon development that prioritises social equity.”
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