By Danjuma Amodu | January 31, 2026
Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, reaffirmed the country’s commitment to combating climate change at the Second Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
This was disclosed in a statement by Abubakar Evuti, Media and Communication Assistant to the Minister.
The meeting, hosted by Saudi Arabia and chaired by H.E. Eng. Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, brought together over 30 member states from Asia and Africa to advance the MGI’s operational phase.
Lawal highlighted Nigeria’s vulnerability to climate change, citing desertification, land degradation, droughts, and biodiversity loss. “Climate change is a transboundary crisis requiring cross-regional cooperation, knowledge-sharing, and collective resilience-building,” he said.
Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to the Paris Agreement and updated NDC 3.0, focusing on resilience, ecosystem restoration, and nature-based solutions.
Lawal proposed collaboration with MGI on climate finance, technical hubs, and capacity building.
“Nigeria seeks to support the 200 million hectare regional target for dryland restoration and enhance its climate resilience through MGI cooperation,” Lawal said. “Collective action and cooperation are key to building a more resilient and sustainable future for all.”
