Nigeria has urged developed countries to fulfil their dedication to mobilise no less than $20 billion yearly by 2025 and $30 billion yearly by 2030 to allow creating countries to successfully implement biodiversity conservation initiatives.
The Minister of Environment, Balarebe Lawal, made the decision whereas delivering Nigeria’s nationwide assertion throughout the high-level section of the continued seventeenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.
“Excellencies, as Founding Chair of the Ministerial Alliance for Ambition on Nature Finance, Nigeria continues to champion the mobilisation of adequate and predictable resources for biodiversity. We call for the fulfilment of the commitment to mobilise at least US$20 billion annually by 2025 and US$30 billion annually by 2030 for developing countries,” Mr Lawal stated.
He stated Nigeria was happy to be a part of the worldwide group to reaffirm its collective dedication to defending biodiversity and securing a sustainable future for current and future generations.
“Nigeria reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and our shared ambition to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030,” he stated.
Nigeria’s biodiversity targets
Nigeria accomplished its revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2025–2030 in June 2025 and submitted it to the CBD Secretariat.
The technique gives a nationwide roadmap for halting and reversing biodiversity loss throughout its six-year implementation interval.
It aligns Nigeria’s conservation priorities with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and establishes 23 nationwide targets tailor-made to the nation’s socioeconomic and environmental circumstances.
The targets cowl crucial sectors, together with agriculture, forestry, infrastructure and ecosystem conservation.
The technique additionally adopts a whole-of-government and whole-of-society strategy, integrating biodiversity conservation into authorities insurance policies and improvement planning whereas encouraging the participation of stakeholders, together with Indigenous Peoples and native communities.
It additional emphasises private-sector accountability and environmental danger administration, together with efforts to assist companies assess and disclose their dependencies on nature.
Nigeria has projected an implementation funds of roughly $474 million over six years, highlighting the necessity to mobilise sources to handle longstanding funding gaps.
Translating commitments into motion
Mr Lawal urged governments and delegates to translate their biodiversity commitments into concrete motion supported by satisfactory financing, sturdy partnerships and measurable outcomes.
He stated Nigeria had continued to advance implementation since COP15, together with validating its revised NBSAP in June 2025, with 23 nationwide targets aligned with the worldwide biodiversity framework.
He added that Nigeria had submitted its Seventh National Report to strengthen implementation, monitoring and accountability.
Mr Lawal stated the nation remained dedicated to the worldwide 30-by-30 goal of conserving no less than 30 per cent of the world’s land and inland waters, in addition to coastal and marine areas, by 2030.
He stated Nigeria was pursuing this ambition by means of protected-area administration, ecosystem restoration and marine conservation.
“Following the Federal Executive Council’s approval of the ratification of the BBNJ Agreement, we are advancing the necessary processes to strengthen our contribution to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction,” he stated.
The BBNJ Agreement, often known as the High Seas Treaty, gives a framework for conserving and sustainably utilizing marine biodiversity in areas past nationwide jurisdiction.
Mr Lawal additionally stated Nigeria was integrating biodiversity conservation, local weather motion and land restoration by means of the Global Environment Facility-supported Net Zero Nature Positive Project.
He careworn that efficient biodiversity conservation have to be inclusive and equitable, noting that Nigeria was selling gender-responsive land governance, ladies’s entry to land and pure sources, and their significant participation in environmental decision-making.
He added that the federal government remained dedicated to making certain that ladies and weak communities actively participated in and benefited from biodiversity conservation efforts.
Nigeria requires stronger financing partnerships
Citing Decision 16/34 of the earlier biodiversity convention, Mr Lawal advocated stronger collaboration between atmosphere and finance ministers to combine biodiversity issues into nationwide budgets, fiscal insurance policies and improvement plans.
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He stated worldwide financing commitments have to be delivered by means of predictable, accessible and extra sources, complemented by home useful resource mobilisation, private-sector funding and reforms to dangerous incentives.
He additionally highlighted the significance of expertise switch, capacity-building and institutional strengthening, significantly for creating countries.
Nigeria, he stated, was calling for higher coordination among the many three Rio Conventions on biodiversity, local weather change and desertification to maximise accessible sources, minimise duplication and speed up implementation.
“Mr President, COP17 must mark a decisive turning point—from commitments to delivery. Our global ambition must be matched by adequate financing, equitable access to the means of implementation, gender-responsive action and measurable progress,” he stated.
Mr Lawal stated Nigeria was prepared to strengthen worldwide partnerships and work with different events to obtain the shared 2030 biodiversity targets and safe a nature-positive future for all.
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