UK PACT Nigeria Hands Transport Firms a Climate Finance Roadmap
By: Abudu Olalekan
For years now, Nigerian transport operators have been told to clean up their act. Go green. Cut emissions. Very few people bothered to tell them how — or who was going to pay for it.
That gap is what the UK PACT Nigeria project set out to close.
The project, formally titled Enhancing Private Sector Capacity for Climate and Clean Air Action in Nigeria’s Transport Sector, has worked with more than 200 stakeholders and produced something operators can actually pick up and use: the Climate and Clean Air Action Framework for Transport Businesses in Nigeria.
Not a policy paper. A working tool.
It was unveiled at the project’s close-out webinar on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, monitored by Reportersroom. The official launch comes in August.
Funding came from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the UK PACT programme. Delivery was handled by a consortium — the University of York, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), AP3 Advisory, Escher Silverman Global (ESG), SLOCAT Partnership and Consulting Engineers Group (CEG).
The framework didn’t appear out of thin air, either. It grew out of months of stakeholder sessions and technical workshops in Abuja and Enugu, where operators, financiers and regulators sat in the same rooms and argued it out. What came out the other end is a six-step roadmap: measure your emissions, build a climate action plan, package bankable projects, and go after finance with something lenders will actually read.
Speaking during the webinar, Gary Haq of the Stockholm Environment Institute and the University of York said the whole thing rests on one uncomfortable truth — government can’t do this alone.
“Government policy and public finance alone cannot deliver Nigeria’s climate ambitions. The private sector owns vehicles, makes operational decisions, and holds significant potential to reduce emissions.”
Presenting the framework, Dr. Gori Olusina Daniel, Chief Executive Officer of AP3 Advisory, put it more bluntly. The awareness stage is over, he said. Businesses know. What they lack is a route from knowing to doing.
“The question is no longer whether businesses should respond to climate change. The question is how they transition and how they finance that transition. This framework provides that practical pathway.”
Genevieve Ankunda of the SLOCAT Partnership went back to basics — data. Before any operator talks about reduction targets, she said, they need to know what they’re actually emitting.
“You cannot manage what you do not measure.”
And on the money side, Dr. Jubril Adeojo of AP3 Advisory was equally direct. Good intentions don’t get funded, he pointed out, prepared projects do.
“Climate finance follows credible projects, not good intentions. Businesses need measurable emissions reductions, strong financial analysis, and investment-ready proposals.”
What the project leaves behind is a small toolkit rather than a report gathering dust somewhere: the Integrated Climate and Clean Air Action Framework, an Emission Reduction Guide, a Climate Action Plan Template, and step-by-step guidance on shaping climate-aligned projects.
Used properly, these should help transport businesses burn less fuel, run tighter operations and open doors to financing they previously couldn’t reach — while quietly pushing Nigeria closer to its Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement.
Small tools. Big sector. That’s the bet.
Olalekan A. Abudu is a seasoned and dedicated News Journalist at REPORTERS ROOM, with over eight years of experience. He specializes in politics, climate change, health, and education, while also covering security, economic, and judicial issues. Committed to accuracy and balanced reporting, Olalekan exemplifies the principles of public-interest journalism.
