Nigeria launches Initiative for Climate Action Transparency

Nigeria has set in motion the machinery towards attaining a Just and Gender Inclusive Transition of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change with the Project Launch/Inception Meeting of the Initiative for Climate Transparency (ICAT)

Addressing the participants in Abuja, the Minister of Labour and Employment Dr Chris Ngige represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Ms Kachollom Daju, said that Nigeria is committed to a Just Transition where no one is left behind.

The event was tagged “Project Launch/Inception Workshop of the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) Just and Gender Inclusive Transition (JGIT).”

According to the Minister, ICAT, is an International Multi-stakeholder Partnership of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) supporting Nigeria to set up Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of a Just and Gender Inclusive Transition.

He said that the Nigerian Government signed a Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with the UNOPS, represented by the ICAT Management, to firm up the process leading to the take off and implementation of the project over a period of twelve (12) months.

“The objectives of the project amongst others include to develop Just and Gender Inclusive Transition (JGIT) Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and ensure it links with the sectoral MRV system and Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) implemented by the Federal Ministry of Environment to achieve synergy, institutional memory and stakeholder inclusion and cooperation.

“To enable a tripartite cooperation between Government, Labour and Employer Associations to achieve a Just and Gender Inclusive Transition going forward with the implementation of the Paris agreement.

“To support policymakers in setting up JGIT MRV and designing a JGIT roadmap to track just transition impacts of climate policies and actions,” Ngige said.

The ICAT project will be carried out by a team of National Experts and International ICAT Consultants (World Resources Institute WRI, Washington) under the supervision of the of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The Federal government has also appointed and commissioned the National Project Consultants, who it said are working closely with the ICAT appointed International Team of Consultants to deliver the project in close consultation with the stakeholders.

Dr Ngige said he was delighted that the development of the MRV of Just Transition will substantially contribute to meeting the country’s obligation in the Just Transition Process during the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Energy Transition Plan.

The Project Team Lead and former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr Yerima Tarfa, while speaking, said that the initiative would help to increase the overall transparence capacities of countries and assess the contribution of policies and development objectives by providing appropriate methodological information and tools to support evidence –based policy making.

He said that Nigeria being the largest economy, leading oil producer and most populous in Africa, is faced with the challenge of having to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas and increasingly, coal) while responding to the unmet energy needs of its growing population.

He said however, the nation was addressing the challenge adequately.

“Nonetheless, Nigeria is turning this challenge into an opportunity by increasing the use of renewable energy, reducing its carbon footprints and eliminating gas flaring.

“Nigeria’s National Determined Contributions (NDCs) is committed to a 20 per cent emission reduction by 2030 unconditionally and 45 per cent conditional, with focus on power and electricity, oil and gas,” he added.

The highlights of the NDCs according to him, include ending gas flaring by 2030 and 30 per cent energy efficiency level by 2030.

Speaking on the topic, Just and Gender Inclusive Transition (J&GIT) and MRV System for Nigeria: the Gender Component, Dr Martina Nwordu, gender expert and analyst, said that the important roles Women play in both agriculture and energy value chains which contribute to GDP growth can neither be over emphasied or over looked.

Dr Nwordu suggested that ways to achieving gender balance and social inclusion include, “Dialogue and advocacy with stakeholders, mainstreaming gender and social indicators in statistical frameworks for macro and micro policies, accurate tracking and reporting on activities, showing the gender and social dimensions, gaps and potentials pin-pointing to role models and appropriately disaggregated data: gender, age, location among others.”

Participants were drawn from key Ministries, Departments and Agencies, International Developmental Partners, the private sectors, NGOs, the Academia and the Organised Labour.