Abuja: Gov. Umaru Bago of Niger is set to receive myclimate experts as the state intensifies efforts to attract UN climate finance and develop viable carbon-market projects. The delegation will visit Nigeria from Aug. 23 to Aug. 28 for a technical feasibility mission to assess potential carbon-market projects in Niger. Discussions will focus on strengthening Niger’s participation in international carbon markets and examining regulatory requirements for activities under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the visit follows strategic discussions involving myclimate, the Niger Government, and ICA Finance in Bonn, Germany, on the sidelines of UNFCCC’s 64th session. Myclimate Foundation is an international climate protection organisation and carbon project developer with roots in Switzerland and Germany. Its experts specialise in carbon market advisory, climate strategy consulting, carbon footprint calculations, and sustainable development education.
The mission aims to identify and assess potential carbon projects while establishing baseline conditions required to determine their technical and investment feasibility. Experts with different methodological expertise will conduct field assessments at selected locations across the state during the mission. The assessment will cover at least three major solid-waste disposal dumpsites to examine viable landfill and alternative waste-management carbon-project pathways. Experts will also visit remote farming and fishing settlements without solar photovoltaic mini-grids or where existing coverage remains incomplete. Rice-producing areas will be assessed to identify opportunities for carbon projects capable of attracting climate finance and investment into the state.
According to Umar, three major public schools will be assessed, particularly their kitchens and cooking facilities, to determine potential opportunities for emissions-reduction projects. The assessments will generate data needed to guide potential carbon-project design and establish baseline conditions for investment decisions. The mission will also provide a framework for cooperation among myclimate, the Niger Government, and prospective climate-finance and investment partners.
The delegation is expected to engage Federal Government institutions, including the National Council on Climate Change and offices responsible for climate change and climate finance. These include the Office of the Presidential Special Envoy on Climate Change and the Office of the Presidential Special Adviser to the President on Climate Finance. The programme will begin on Aug. 23 with the delegation’s arrival in Nigeria, before engagements with Federal Government climate institutions on Aug. 24. The team will subsequently travel to Niger State for its first project-site assessment after completing the federal-level engagements.
According to Umar, on Aug. 25, the delegation will hold stakeholder meetings in Niger, followed by additional project-site visits on Aug. 26. The Niger engagements will conclude on Aug. 27 with a briefing involving state government officials and members of the visiting expert team. The mission is expected to produce an assessment report identifying priority carbon-market projects with potential to attract climate finance and investment. It will also provide expert assessments of feasible landfill and alternative waste-management carbon-project pathways across Niger State.
Umar added that another expected outcome is an objective assessment of the state’s readiness to implement high-integrity carbon projects under applicable international frameworks. The state government is expected to facilitate access to relevant sites and stakeholders to enable experts to collect baseline information. This information will support the development of bankable carbon-market and climate-finance opportunities capable of attracting international investment to Niger. The initiative is part of efforts to position Niger to benefit from emerging international carbon markets and climate-finance opportunities under the Paris Agreement.