The Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has said Nigeria’s green transition offers practical, immediate and diverse investment opportunities across the energy, agriculture, transport and climate adaptation sectors.
He made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the Nigeria Climate Investment Summit, a flagship event of London Climate Action Week, themed “Catalysing Nigeria’s Climate Policy Progress into Financial Flows for Green Projects”.
Expressing confidence in the country’s readiness to convert policy into bankable projects, the Deputy Speaker identified key investment opportunities in distributed renewable energy, solar mini-grids, battery storage, clean cooking solutions, electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, and industrial energy efficiency.
He also highlighted climate-smart agriculture, irrigation, cold-chain logistics, food processing and resilient rural infrastructure as critical sectors capable of strengthening food security while increasing incomes.
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Other investment opportunities, he said, include electric mobility, mass transit, low-carbon urban transport, waste-to-value systems, methane reduction, circular economy enterprises and green manufacturing.
Kalu further identified flood-control systems, resilient drainage, coastal protection, nature-based solutions and climate-resilient housing as priority areas for climate adaptation, stressing that Nigeria’s green transition must expand access to affordable energy, create decent jobs, support communities, equip young people with new skills, promote women’s participation and ensure that no region is left behind.
The Deputy Speaker also linked climate investment to the broader economic reforms being implemented by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that the removal of the fuel subsidy has redirected resources to infrastructure and doubled government revenue in 2025 to more than ₦28.3 trillion.
He added that the unification of the foreign exchange market has reduced arbitrage, increased foreign exchange liquidity and boosted international investor confidence.
Assuring investors of policy and legal protection, Kalu said the 10th National Assembly is providing legal certainty through the Climate Change Act and the Electricity Act.
He explained that the Climate Change Act establishes frameworks for climate governance, carbon budgeting, emissions reporting and market-based mechanisms, while the Electricity Act promotes decentralisation and greater private-sector participation, enabling states such as Lagos to become hubs for green investment.
The Deputy Speaker also pledged the commitment of the National Assembly to strengthening the implementation of climate legislation, monitoring climate expenditure, supporting carbon market and green finance frameworks, improving investor protection and streamlining approvals for green projects.
He urged international investors, pension funds, insurers, banks, development finance institutions and philanthropic organisations to partner with Nigerian institutions to accelerate green investment.
Kalu also called for blended finance models, green guarantees, first-loss facilities, political risk insurance and local-currency financing to reduce the cost of capital.
To translate commitments into action, he proposed the establishment of a structured Nigeria–London Green Finance Partnership to develop an investor-ready pipeline of priority projects across clean energy, transport, agriculture, resilient infrastructure and the circular economy, while creating a project preparation and transaction support platform capable of moving viable projects from concept to implementation.
“Nigeria is therefore inviting international investors, pension funds, insurers, green
asset managers, banks, development finance institutions, and philanthropic capital to work with Nigerian financial institutions and public authorities to develop innovative financing structures.
“We require blended-finance models that combine public, private and concessional capital. We require green guarantees, first-loss facilities, political risk insurance, local-currency financing, project preparation support, and credit enhancement instruments that can reduce the cost of capital for viable green projects.
“Nigeria is ready to work with GLOBE International, the City of London, SOStainability, Sustainable Energy for All, the United Nations system and global financial institutions to ensure that our green taxonomy, reporting standards and project-preparation systems are increasingly aligned with international expectations.
“Our objective is straightforward: every pound sterling, dollar, naira or euro invested in Nigeria’s green economy should produce measurable value.
“Today, I propose that this summit should not end as another important conversation. It should become the beginning of a structured Nigeria–London Green Finance Partnership. This is how ambition becomes action. This is how policy becomes finance. And this is how finance becomes infrastructure, jobs, resilience and shared prosperity,” Kalu added.
