From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Federal Government has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production and protect farmers’ livelihoods from worsening climate threats as Nigeria begins implementing its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0).
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, said rising temperatures, droughts, floods, water scarcity and pasture degradation were threatening animal health, productivity and the stability of livestock value chains.
He spoke yesterday at the launch of NDC 3.0 and the inauguration of the National Steering Committee for the implementation of the NDC and Net-Zero Investment Plan.
Maiha said the livestock sector remained central to food security, employment, poverty reduction and economic growth, making its protection from climate change a national priority.
He said the ministry was pursuing low-emission production through a Climate-Smart Implementation Plan under the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy.
The plan covers improved animal nutrition, feed conversion efficiency, genetics, animal health services, herd management and manure management, with the aim of reducing emissions while increasing productivity and profitability.
To strengthen resilience, Maiha said the ministry was developing sustainable water supplies, fodder and climate-resilient feed systems in selected grazing reserves and Livestock Development Centres.
He said disease surveillance, animal health infrastructure and early-warning systems were also being strengthened to address changing disease patterns and other climate-related risks.
The minister disclosed that a livestock measurement, reporting, verification and certification system was being developed alongside a methane baseline survey to improve the quality of climate data.
Five digital weather stations, he added, had been installed to monitor atmospheric pressure, wind speed, humidity and soil conditions.
Maiha, however, warned that government funding alone would not deliver the required transformation.
“The success of the implementation of NDC 3.0 depends on effective mobilisation of investment, technology and partnerships,” he said.
Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change, Omotenioye Majekodunmi, said Nigeria must move beyond announcing commitments to delivering measurable results.
“Our task today is not simply to launch another document. It is to move from ambition to delivery, from pledges to governance,” she said.
According to her, NDC 3.0 sets an economy-wide target of reducing emissions by 32 per cent by 2035, relative to a 2018 base year, as part of Nigeria’s path towards net zero by 2060.
She called for credible project pipelines, transparent programmes and policy certainty to attract public and private investment.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, represented by Babatunde Bolaji Bernard, said the NDC should serve as a national development instrument, with climate priorities reflected in government policies, budgets, infrastructure and investment decisions.
UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Elsie Gyekyewaa Attafuah, said climate policy must translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
She noted that many Nigerians experienced climate change through uncertainty over rainfall and harvests, floods that disrupted children’s education, and extreme heat that affected health and work.
Attafuah identified climate-resilient agriculture, reliable clean energy and cleaner cooking as interventions capable of delivering direct benefits to households.
Other development partners stressed the need for international cooperation, technical assistance, climate finance and stronger institutional capacity to support implementation.
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