Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Lagos State Government has joined the growing lineup of high-level global stakeholders confirmed to participate in the Nigeria Climate Investment Summit (NCIS), billed to hold in London on June 23.
A statement released yesterday by GLOBE Legislators and SOStainability, conveners of NCIS London, said the growing interest in the Summit, designed as a major programme of the London Climate Action Week (LCAW), confirms Nigeria’s rising profile as a destination of choice for green global investments.
Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicate that the UK is Nigeria’s biggest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with some $12.21 billion attracted to the country between 2023 and 2025 following the deliberate diplomatic engagements of President Bola Tinubu.
The NCIS has been programmed to leverage investments into Nigeria by specifically signposting financing and multilateral funding into bankable green project pipelines in states like Lagos that have shown leadership in climate policy delivery.
The summit is supported by major global, national, and municipal partners, including the Commonwealth Secretariat, the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll), British Investment International (BII), and the City of London’s Worshipful Company of Fuellers, among others.
Confirmed Speakers and session moderators include Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives; Gedion Timothewos, President-Designate of COP32 and Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catriona Laing, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’ Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), and immediate past UK High Commissioner to Nigeria.
Also expected are: Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Co-chair of UN-Energy; Suresh Yadav, Senior Director, Climate Change and Oceans, Commonwealth Secretariat; Ashutosh Shastri, Master Fueller, Worshipful Company of Fuellers (City of London Livery Company), and Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, President, Society for Planet and Prosperity, among others.
According to the organisers of the Summit, Sanwo-Olu will lead a delegation of senior Lagos State officials, including the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunboh Wahab.
The governor is slated to officially unveil plans to host Africa’s first climate action week in Lagos, joining other global capitals, including London, New York, Shanghai, Sydney, Rio, and Baku, that now convene these exclusive high-profile events annually.
According to the statement, the Lagos State delegation will engage with the global investment community, intergovernmental organisations, Development Finance Institutions, regulators, institutional investors, businesses with innovative investment plans in Nigeria, and diaspora capital networks, who will be joining senior officials from the federal and state governments at the Summit.
Besides, The NCIS will explore investment pathways into numerous renewable energy and transition opportunities in Nigeria, given recent policy initiatives like the launch of the National Carbon Market Framework (NCMF), Phase 3 of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), activation of the Climate Action Plan, and unbundling of the electricity sector through the Electricity Act 2023.
The Summit will reaffirm, with demonstrable evidence, Nigeria’s position as the destination of choice for climate finance, green investments, and delivery of SDG 7 on energy access; broker deals and initiate twinning opportunities for investment uptake and sustainable, productive partnerships around energy access, renewables, and transition projects; support engagement by leading Nigerian lawmakers and subnational leaders with global energy and climate diplomacy, ahead of COP 31 in Antalya, Turkey; and offer policy recommendations and clear implementation pathways, including through Nigeria’s NDC on advancing climate action with intergovernmental and policy partners.
NCIS is being convened by SOStainability, a sustainability consulting firm with head offices in the UK, and GLOBE Legislators—Focal Point of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Parliamentary Group.
While GLOBE will build on its pioneering Parliamentary Guide to Carbon Markets and Article 6 (2025) to foster the role of legislatures in the climate policy and implementation loop, SOStainability will unveil its Sustainability Policy & Practice Spotlight (SPPS), a structured accountability initiative profiling ESG performance and compliance, climate policy alignment, and sustainability integration across corporate Nigeria.
Oke Epia, CEO of SOStainability, commended Lagos State for making the smart choice to participate at NCIS London, noting that Governor Sanwo-Olu has demonstrated enviable leadership in governance among his peers in the country.
“By signing up for NCIS London, Governor Sanwo-Olu has reaffirmed the commitment of his administration to taking advantage of the growing global interest in Nigeria’s transition opportunities to attract investment to Lagos State,” he said, adding: “It is particularly exciting that the governor will be personally announcing Lagos State’s next big step on climate engagement that will be the first in Africa.”
