As Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar played a prominent role during the 23^rd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) hosted by Fiji but held recently in Bonn, Germany. In this chat with EnviroNews, Tuggar shed some light on Nigeria’s stand on international climate change diplomacy, her relationship with Germany, and other sundry issues.

Describe Nigeria’s current position, even as developments unfold at this COP

We are subscribing fully to our commitments to the Paris Agreement on bringing down carbon dioxide emissions and at the same time we are also of the opinion that pre-Paris commitments should also be adhered to and fulfilled, which pertains mostly to the developed world as is popularly referred to, so Nigeria of course is at the nexus of climate  change issue. As you know, we are on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, we’ve got a shrinking Lake Chad, we have issues to do with several exchanges with demographics, population explosion Nigeria being the largest country population wise on the continent, being a hydrocarbon producer; so these are all the things that really affect us directly. And being a continental leader like our German partners, we are like them an influencer of globalisation because of our leadership position in Africa, just like German is also a leader in the European continent. As you know, globalisation is all about inter-connectivity across time and space, so here we are.

What are your views concerning COP23 so far; are you impressed with how the negotiations are ongoing?

Yes, I am. You can see that there is a strong agitation on the part of the less developed world to stick to the resolutions that came before the Paris Agreement which focused more on the more developed world bringing down their emissions and so helping the developing world to ease the way for them to bring down their own emission because it would be unfair for them to insist that we bring down our emissions without having a look at the opportunity cost which is industrialisation really, because when you use fossil fuels, coal and hydrocarbons, crude oil, gas to power your industry, of course there will be emissions. This is what the developed world did, so it is only fair for them to fulfill some of the promises that they’ve made like the $100 billion they promised, as well as several other commitments to ease the way for the developing world to comply with the country-based target.

Certain delegates claim that the progress of negotiations have been rather slow and tiring because of issues related to tidying up some Paris Agreement formalities before proceeding with negotiations. Do you agree with this sentiments that things have not really been going as expected?

I am not so sure because a gathering like this entails the whole world coming together, so naturally it will be tedious, it will be slow; but, at the end of it all, I think we are likely to see something conclusive happening, particularly with what happened yesterday whereby there were very powerful speeches by the German Chancellor (Angela Merkel), and by the French President (Emmanuel Macron), where they took a very robust stand and the French President even said that Europe should be prepared to replace America in terms of shouldering a lot of these responsibilities and financial commitments. I think that gave it a bit of a boost to show that they were committed and I think that would see a lot of progress being made.

How would you assess America’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and its impact to the global climate change process?

At the end of the day, it might not have much of an impact as it is assumed because when you look at the sub-state level – because this is international relations we are talking about – there is a state level and then there is a sub-state level. When I say state, I’m talking about the nation, So there are lots of US states, state governments and other internal organs, as well as multinationals that are US owned that are supporting the decisions being made here, and made in Paris. The former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was here and he took a very strong position. Former vice-president, Al Gore, was here and he also took a very strong position. So it’s going to be very difficult for the position that President Donald Trump has taken to necessarily mean that the entire USA has opted out. And you have to bear in mind states like California where certain issues that people feel strongly about such as climate change are put to vote, so the population goes out to vote on particular issues, so once the people have made their decision, its difficult to reverse.

As the Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, what is your impression of the Nigerian-German relationship, especially as it relates to climate change and sustainable development diplomacy?

It’s been very good; very strong. Germany has always been supportive of Nigeria. It has also been supportive of Africa. Germany is one of the largest funders of the African Union Border Programme for instance, which in my opinion is one way of addressing some of these climate change issues because we are talking about development across national boundaries in Africa, which will allow for development at the local level because you find that it is the periphery of these nations that you have the least developments. And it is not just unique to Africa, in most countries you find that sovereignty becomes weaker when you move from the centre towards the borders simply because there is more concentration in the middle and sometimes the borders tend to be neglected and more complex. For instance, when you look at Nigeria, its not by coincidence that we have problems in the Northeastern part of the country, so initiatives such as this border programme really helps towards looking at things in a different way by resolving some of the issues that have to do with development.

Besides the border programme you just mentioned, are there other programmes or programme specifically targeted at the Nigerian Northeast region?

There is. Last month, there was a meeting here in Germany in Berlin which was exclusively to do with the Northeast. Its an initiative trying to raise funds towards the development of the region, Don’t forget that Nigeria and Germany also have a Bi-national Commission, and there are few countries that we have Bi-national Commissions with.

What is a Bi-national Commission?

Bi-national Commission is bilateral agreement between two countries to work together towards progress in specific areas. So ours covers areas such as energy, migration, climate issues, etc. Under that, we have the Nigeria-German Energy Partnership, where for instance we are trying to address and expand the use of renewable energy in Nigeria, micro-credit schemes, and so on. Yes we’ve been partners with Germany, and Germany is a leader when it comes to renewable energy. In the northern part of Germany, wind energy is a priority, and in the south they focus on solar energy. And we are trying to focus on solar energy, not so much wind energy, but solar is something that is big; and also other renewables like bio-fuel.

Can we meet you sir?

My name is Yusuf Maitama Tuggar. I’m from Bauchi State. I was a businessman in the private sector, went into politics, ended up in the House of Representatives, where I chaired the House Committee on Public Procurement. From there, I ran for Governor of Bauchi State in 2011. I was part of the Presidential campaign in 2015, and now I find myself representing Nigeria in Germany.

South Asia’s ambitious plans to meet its climate targets under the Paris Agreement represent $3.4 trillion worth of investment opportunities in cities and infrastructure by 2030, according to Climate Investment Opportunities in South Asia, a new report by IFC released on Wednesday, December 29, 2017 by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, which represent 7.38 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, have enormous but untapped opportunities in climate-smart investing in sectors including renewable energy, transport, green buildings, urban water, climate-smart agriculture, and municipal solid waste. The report identifies $3.1 trillion of climate investment opportunities in India alone, along with $172 billion in Bangladesh, $42 billion in Bhutan, $2 billion in the Maldives, $46 billion in Nepal, and $18 billion in Sri Lanka.

“The only way that the South Asian countries can take advantage of these climate investment opportunities is with a strong and engaged private sector,” said IFC CEO, Philippe Le Houérou. “We also need to have a comprehensive approach to creating markets for climate business in key sectors. That means putting in place necessary policy frameworks, promoting competition, and building capacity and skills to open new markets.”

The impacts of climate change on business assets, supply chains, and business interruptions are already a major concern for South Asian companies. This concern coupled with the urgency of addressing the air pollution reinforce the need for immediate action while capitalise on the existing investment potential.

The South Asia region has seen a surge in investment in clean energy and energy efficiency in recent years, contributing to significant development gains. IFC’s report highlighted two sectors for future growth: due to rapid urbanization, green buildings represent an investment potential totaling more than $1.5 trillion across South Asia between 2018 and 2030; and green transport infrastructure and electric vehicles create an opportunity of over $950 billion to 2030. Such investments generate further benefits by providing access to markets, enabling trade, and ensuring mobility, which in turn stimulate economic growth and private investment.

According to the report, other significant opportunities in the region include:

• India: renewable energy and electric vehicles. The impressive national target of generating 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022 represents almost $448 billion in investment potential. This will be crucial given India’s aim to electrify all new vehicle sales by 2030, creating a potential investment opportunity of almost $670 billion if this goal is fully met.
• Bangladesh: climate-smart urban wastewater and agriculture. The government’s prioritisation of wastewater infrastructure projects creates a $13 billion investment opportunity and climate-smart agriculture sector could see investments of more than $9 billion.
• Bhutan: hydropower and electric transport. Developing Bhutan’s 25,000 MW of economically feasible hydropower potential will generate an investment opportunity of over $40 billion as well as substantial export revenues. The government’s ambitious electric vehicle target creates over 320 million worth of potential for investment in the sector.
• Maldives: climate-smart infrastructure. The country’s goals to climate-proof its infrastructure against rising sea levels and extreme weather events translates to an investment opportunity of at least $1.5 billion in transport-related infrastructure and $200 million in green buildings by 2030.
• Nepal: hydropower and climate-smart agriculture. Achieving Nepal’s ambition to install 12,000 MW of hydropower capacity creates an investment opportunity of $22.5 billion. The government’s policy push to make its agricultural sector more climate friendly, including through the use of efficient technologies represents an investment opportunity of $4.8 billion.
• Sri Lanka: Municipal solid waste management and climate-smart urban wastewater. Recognising the need for solid waste management Sri Lanka’s national policies create a $3.5 billion opportunity for investment in the sector. Wastewater management, identified as a key priority, opens an investment opportunity of more than $2.7 billion.

The countries in the region are taking the lead in fulfilling their Paris commitments. Scaling and replicating such progress across South Asia will require catalysing private finance and creating markets for climate business solutions through policies, financial innovations, and business models targeted at sector-specific local conditions. The report provides recommendations on how each country can further accelerate climate-smart investing, including demonstration projects to signal commercial viability and raise awareness, and promoting public private partnerships through streamlining procurement and processes.

Since 2005, IFC has invested $2.6 billion in long-term financing for climate-smart projects in South Asia and additionally mobilised almost $1 billion from other investors. The report is a follow-up to the Creating Markets in Climate Business report published earlier this month.

The Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) 53rd Council has approved a work programme of more than $500 million that puts a strong emphasis on support for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The work programme, said to be one of the largest in the current GEF funding cycle (GEF-6), spans all GEF focal areas and regions and comprises 83 projects and one programmatic approach. Some 101 recipient countries are set to benefit from GEF support, including 38 LDCs and 28 SIDS.

The co-chairs summary of the meeting lists all the approved projects, as well as details of decisions taken to approve a new gender equality policy, a revised stakeholder engagement policy and an updated policy on ethics and conflict of interest for Council Members, Alternates and Advisers.

Closing the meeting, Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, thanked participants, noting: “We achieved the five things I hoped for.”  Stressing that “we have built sufficient trust among ourselves so that we can tackle difficult issues in the future,” she highlighted the achievement of approving “a half-billion dollar work program… new policies, and laying the foundation for others”.

The GEF Council meeting included updates from the Secretariat on plans to review the GEF’s social and environmental safeguards and fiduciary standards, and a new vision to enhance civil society engagement with the GEF. The GEF also presented the Annual Portfolio Monitoring Report, and the CEO presented a report on the status of the GEF-7 replenishment.

During the meeting, Rosina Bierbaum, Chairperson of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) presented a report, and the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) presented its Semi-Annual Evaluation Report and an update on the Sixth Overall Performance Study (OPS6).

There was also a session on the non-grant instrument (NGI), and a panel discussion on GEF’s relations with the Conventions, including Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, and Jacob Duer, Principal Coordinator of the Interim Secretariat of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

LDCF/SCCF 23rd Council

Back-to-back with the GEF Council meeting, the 23rd Meeting of the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) Council took place. In her opening remarks, Naoko Ishii highlighted recent momentum around building resilience and catalysing adaptation finance given the dire effects of recent extreme weather events around the world.

She commended the governments of Germany, Sweden, Belgium and the Wallonia region who all pledged to the LDCF for a total of over $90 million at the UN Climate Conference (COP23) in Bonn. Calling the support “one of the highlights of COP23”, Ishii also noted the news from COP23 of a new fund, supported by SCCF, to boost adaptation efforts in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.

At the opening of the Council meeting, Switzerland announced new contributions to the LDCF and SCCF. Jane Chigiyal, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Micronesia to the United Nations, co-chaired both the GEF Council and LDCF/SCCF meetings with Ishii.

The GEF Council was preceded by a one day consultation with CSOs on November 27, 2017.

Two new videos showcasing GEF projects on the ground were also launched.