Climate Change: Turn Waste Into Wealth, Jobs, FG Urges Nigerians

The federal government has called for a fundamental shift in Nigeria’s approach to climate change, urging the country to move from the traditional “take, make and dispose” economic model to a circular economy capable of creating jobs, attracting investment and strengthening resilience against climate-related disasters.

The government said climate change had gone beyond an environmental concern to become a major political, economic and social challenge, warning that failure to act decisively could expose the country to escalating costs associated with floods, droughts, extreme heat, food insecurity and other climate-related impacts.

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas-Lawal, stated this in Abuja at the Climate Change and Circular Economy Africa 2026 conference held at the National Engineering Centre, Labour House. The Minister, represented by the Director of the Department of Climate Change, Dr Inyogwa Adeleye, said Nigeria must seize the opportunities presented by the green transition rather than view climate action solely as a cost.

According to him, Africa remains disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, with changing rainfall patterns, rising temperatures and increasing extreme weather events threatening food security, livelihoods and economic development.

He identified accelerated investment in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, recycling and waste management, green buildings, sustainable transportation and climate-resilient water systems as key measures required to build a more sustainable and resilient economy.

The Minister said Nigeria had demonstrated commitment to international climate action through its ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement, as well as the development of policies and regulatory frameworks supporting environmental sustainability and circular economy practices.

Also speaking, the convener of the conference, Zigwai A Fanda said Nigeria should stop seeing waste merely as something to be discarded, arguing that discarded plastics, electronic devices, food waste and agricultural residues could become valuable raw materials for industries and new businesses.

She said the circular economy offered Nigeria an opportunity to develop new industries and empower young Nigerians to build businesses around resource recovery, recycling, renewable energy and sustainable production.

The convener disclosed that Nigeria’s latest Nationally Determined Contribution estimates that about $237 billion would be required between 2026 and 2030 for climate mitigation and adaptation, stressing that the huge financing requirement should also be viewed as an opportunity for investment, innovation and economic transformation.

He challenged Nigeria to develop home-grown green technologies rather than remain a consumer of solutions produced by other countries, urging government, investors, universities, entrepreneurs and young innovators to collaborate in developing solutions suited to the country’s peculiar challenges.

Similarly, Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory, said Nigeria could unlock an estimated $15 billion circular economy market potential while generating hundreds of thousands of sustainable jobs by applying circular economy principles to agriculture, manufacturing, construction and urban planning.

Kingibe, who spoke through her Head of Office, Becky Frank, said Africa contributes less than four per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but remains among the regions most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change.

She said the economic consequences were already severe, with climate impacts threatening to reverse years of socio-economic progress, while women and children bear disproportionate burdens through food insecurity, water scarcity, displacement, school disruption and other consequences of environmental degradation.

The senator called for stronger legislation and policies to promote extended producer responsibility, tax incentives for green technology enterprises, integrated waste management and gender-responsive climate programmes.

She also urged policymakers to integrate circular economy metrics into national budgets, public procurement and municipal planning, while calling on financial institutions to create dedicated funding for women-led green enterprises and grassroots circular economy businesses.

Kingibe further charged researchers, engineers and innovators to develop scalable Nigerian technologies capable of converting municipal, industrial and agricultural waste into value-added products.

The speakers agreed that Nigeria’s transition to a circular and climate-resilient economy must go beyond conferences and declarations, with emphasis placed on implementable policies, investment, technology development, job creation and solutions capable of improving the lives of vulnerable communities.