The Federal Government says it has provided policies and initiatives that are aimed at implementing the Paris Agreement to address climate change and other environmental issues in the country.
The Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammad Abubakar made this known at the 5th Anniversary of the Paris Agreement organised by the ministry and Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), in collaboration with the French government in Abuja.
Abubakar said that the Federal Government had put in place several policies and initiatives such as financing green projects in various sectors of the economy across the nation.
He said that the government had also engaged in afforestation programmes, aimed at establishing forests or planting of trees in order to curb the degradation of land.
Abubakar said that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) were at the heart of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of many long-term goals.
He said that NDCs embodied efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Abubakar said that the anniversary would be focusing on the NDCs and policies being implemented, including what had been achieved so far and what should be on the agenda for the next five years.
He said that in efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Federal Government was collaborating with relevant stakeholders and the French government for effective implementation of the programmes.
Abubakar particularly thanked the French government for its support, adding that the support would help in tackling climate change and other environmental issues in the country.
Also speaking, Dr Bello Gusau, Executive Secretary, PTDF, said that the collaboration with the French government in the implementation of the Paris Agreement was commendable.
Gusau said that the efforts would engender appreciable progress in addressing climate change and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement in the country.
Gusau was represented by Mrs Rabitah Waziri-Adamu, an official of PTDF.
The French ambassador, Mr Jerome Pasquier, thanked the Federal Government for its efforts to ensure the implementation of the NDCs via sound policies and initiatives.
He noted that for Nigeria to engage in the elaborate anniversary celebration, it meant that the Federal Government was committed to the implementation of NDCs and the attainment of its goals.
