NDC 3.0 Must Deliver Jobs, Power and Real Change – UNDP

By: Abudu Olalekan

Will the rain come this year? And if it comes, will it be enough?

For many Nigerian farmers, that is not a climate conference question. It is real life. The same goes for the parent wondering if a flooded road will stop their children from getting to school, or the worker struggling through extreme heat just to earn a living.

That, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says, is exactly how Nigeria should judge its new climate plan.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, October 22, 2026, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Elsie G. Attafuah, urged the Federal Government to turn the country’s third Nationally Determined Contribution, NDC 3.0, into practical programmes. Programmes that bring in investment. Create jobs. Expand clean energy. And protect food and livelihoods.

She spoke at the launch of the NDC 3.0 and the first meeting of the Interministerial Steering Committee set up to drive its implementation.

For Attafuah, this is a big moment for Nigeria. Not just to make another commitment, but to actually shape the kind of investments that will decide the country’s future prosperity. That means climate must find its way into public budgets, infrastructure plans, and even the decisions private companies make everyday.

Documents alone won’t do it.

“Their expectations should shape how NDC 3.0 is implemented and how its success is measured,” she said, referring to ordinary Nigerians who feel climate change first.

The benefits, when it works, are not hard to see. Reliable clean energy means a small business can produce more without constantly worrying about power. Health centres can keep essential services running. Climate-resilient farming can protect a farmer’s income when the weather turns bad. Even cleaner cooking helps – less harmful smoke in the home, and less time spent searching for firewood.

Small things. But they change lives.

No Ministry Can Do This Alone

Attafuah was also clear on coordination. Or the lack of it.

Climate cuts across everything – finance, planning, energy, agriculture, transport. Each ministry has its own work and its own pressures. If they all move in different directions, very little will happen.

That is why she described the Interministerial Steering Committee as important. It should set clear priorities, decide which institution is responsible for what, and create one system for tracking progress. Basically, who is doing what, and is it working?

State and local governments matter just as much. Land use, roads, and basic public services are decided at that level, and those decisions affect climate outcomes directly.

But states need help too. Technical support, help preparing bankable projects, and partnerships that fit their own realities. Not a one-size-fits-all approach.

She pointed to UNDP’s Integrated Smart States Programme as one way to connect state priorities with innovation, investment and partners who can help get things done on the ground.

Money Won’t Come Without Preparation

Then there is the money problem.

According to Attafuah, many good climate projects in Nigeria never get funded. Not because the ideas are bad, but because they are not ready. No feasibility study. No clear business model. No proper structure for implementation.

“The financing challenge begins well before an investor is approached,” she said.

That preparation work, she noted, is one of the most useful things government and development partners can support right now.

She also warned that not every project should be financed the same way. Commercial money can scale clean energy businesses and other productive ventures that can make returns. But adaptation and basic public services are different. They may not generate profit, yet they are essential. Those ones will still need public and concessional finance.

And we cannot ignore communities just because their needs are hard to turn into money. Some of the people facing the biggest climate risks fall in that category.

International climate finance will still be needed, alongside Nigeria’s own public funds and private investment. A stronger pipeline of well-prepared projects, backed by clear rules and strong institutions, will make it easier to attract that money.

Carbon markets could also help, she added, but only if they are done properly – with environmental integrity, transparent accounting, and fair benefits for local communities. UNDP is already supporting Nigeria’s national carbon registry to strengthen accountability, supported by proper measurement, reporting and verification systems.

Credibility matters here. Without it, trust disappears.

People Have To Be In The Room

Attafuah also pushed for inclusion. Women, young people, farmers, workers and local communities should not just be beneficiaries, they should be part of designing the programmes.

Their experience improves the work. It also makes people accept and sustain it, especially when new technology or changes in land use affect how people live and earn.

Skills and economic support will be needed too, if the transition to a low-carbon economy is going to be fair.

She advocated an approach that tackles climate change, nature and livelihoods together. Restore a watershed, for instance, and you can reduce flooding, protect biodiversity and still keep farms productive. One investment, several problems solved.

As the steering committee begins its work, she urged government and partners to agree on priorities, assign lead institutions, and be clear about the support needed. Development partners, she said, should align with Nigeria’s own priorities and stop working in fragments. Businesses and banks also have a role in building projects that can attract long-term investment.

UNDP, she assured, will continue to support Nigeria on climate governance, state-level implementation, innovation and development finance.

But in the end, she brought it back to people.

“Ultimately, the measure of success will be whether a farmer can better withstand an uncertain season, an enterprise can grow with reliable energy, and a family can look to the future with greater security,” Attafuah said.

“Keeping those outcomes at the centre of implementation will give NDC 3.0 its lasting meaning.”