Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
In a recent press conference, Ms. Marci Paranski, Programme Manager Officer for UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory, announced a pivotal initiative aimed at enhancing the skills of stakeholders and negotiators within Nigeria’s climate sector to tackle methane emissions. This development is part of a three-day capacity-building workshop, organized with assistance from the Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN).
Funded by the European Union Delegation to Nigeria, the project is being implemented in collaboration with the Nigerian federal government, particularly the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC). Paranski emphasized that the project will focus on three key areas: oil and gas, agriculture, and waste, with plans to expand into additional sectors in the future.
“This workshop marks the beginning of activities in Nigeria for the country’s Methane Emissions Reduction Pilot Program,” Paranski stated. “It is the first initiative of its kind in Africa, aimed at establishing a national baseline for methane emissions. This involves analyzing the contributions from the oil and gas sector, agriculture, and waste over the course of a year.”
She added that the team will collaborate with various scientific partners both in and outside Nigeria to conduct this important study. “We are also engaging in diverse capacity-building activities, including today’s training workshop focused on the oil and gas sector,” Paranski explained.
“We’re collaborating with partners including the NCCC, the EUD, SDN, and Carbon Limits to facilitate training sessions and other capacity-building efforts intended for civil servants, the private sector, and early-career scientists. This is just the first of many initiatives planned for this three-year project,” she noted.
Dr. Nkiruka Maduekwe, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the NCCC, highlighted that Nigeria’s push for methane reduction aligns with the country’s 2021 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), marking it as the first African nation to commit to reducing methane emissions.
“Continuing on this path, in 2023, the government established guidelines for methane regulation and introduced regulations to prevent gas flaring,” he said, reinforcing the need to manage this sector to mitigate methane emissions effectively.
“Methane is a short-lived yet highly potent pollutant, often referred to as a super pollutant,” he continued. “This is why the NCCC Secretariat is receiving support from the European Union and UNEP to advance this capacity-building program. It’s crucial to equip individuals with the necessary knowledge to implement research findings effectively, which is why capacity building is essential.”
