C’River gov unveils plan to boost green economy

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The Cross River State Government has started developing its first Climate Transition Plan to attract green investments, secure climate funding and create jobs through sustainable use of its natural resources.

The initiative followed a two-day workshop held in Calabar, which brought together government officials, development partners and other stakeholders to establish a framework for integrating climate action into the state’s economic development.

Governor Bassey Otu, who chairs the State Council on Climate Change, said the plan would strengthen environmental protection, improve livelihoods and position the state to benefit from emerging opportunities in the green economy.

Otu, represented by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Elvert Ayambem, described climate change as an economic challenge that required coordinated action across government and other sectors.

According to him, the initiative aligned with his administration’s People First agenda and would ensure that climate priorities become part of the state’s development plans.

He said the process would begin with four baseline assessments covering the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, climate risks and vulnerabilities, climate finance opportunities, and mitigation strategies.

The assessments are the Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment, Climate Finance Landscape Assessment, and State Mitigation Strategy Assessment.

The assessments, he added, would provide the data needed to identify environmental threats, determine priority interventions and develop projects capable of attracting funding.

Otu said potential investment areas included renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, waste management and nature-based solutions.

He noted that Cross River, which hosts more than half of Nigeria’s remaining rainforests, had an important role in conservation and the transition to a green economy.

The governor urged ministries, departments and agencies, local government councils and development partners to support the process, stressing that climate priorities must be reflected in budgets and development programmes.

He also acknowledged the support of Future Funds, the Under2 Coalition and the Climate Group, which provided a seed grant for the initiative, as well as contributions from the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the United Nations Development Programme.

Also speaking, the State Special Envoy on Climate Missions, Oden Ewa, said the plan would build on existing climate change and green economy legislation in the state.

Ewa, a former commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, said the immediate task was to translate the state’s legal and institutional frameworks into practical economic and environmental benefits.

“The Climate Transition Plan must be more than a policy document; it must become an instrument of development, investment, and prosperity,” he said.

He identified credible data, bankable projects and accountable institutions as essential requirements for attracting international climate finance and responsible carbon-market investments.

Ewa added that the workshop had also advanced the initial drafts of the State Climate Change Policy and Action Plan and the Green Economy Policy and Action Plan.

He said the proposed documents would provide a coordinated framework for incorporating climate action into agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare, energy, tourism and employment.

The envoy urged the 18 local government councils and relevant government agencies to take ownership of the process, while calling on development partners and financial institutions to sustain their support beyond the planning stage.

He said the plan should also help farmers cope with unpredictable rainfall, encourage sustainable forest-based businesses and expand ecotourism.

Ewa urged stakeholders to work together to position Cross River as a model for climate resilience and green economic growth in Nigeria and Africa.

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