Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja after leading Nigeria’s delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (#COP30) in Belém, Brazil. The delegation reaffirmed Nigeria’s global climate leadership and commitment to a green transition.

At the Leaders’ Climate Summit, hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, VP Shettima represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and delivered Nigeria’s statement titled “The Rational Soul of Nature.” In his address, he called on world leaders to recognize the economic value of nature and to channel significant finance toward protecting and restoring it through predictable, equitable, and accessible funding mechanisms.

VP Shettima emphasized that Nigeria’s renewed climate agenda is “not just an aspiration, but a solemn national commitment to preserve the planet for future generations.”

On the sidelines of the summit, he held bilateral meetings focused on carbon market cooperation, targeting between $2.5 billion and $3 billion annually in carbon finance over the next decade to support Nigeria’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

The visit underscores Nigeria’s growing role in global climate diplomacy and its commitment to sustainable development and environmental protection.