Nigeria's federal government has launched a Joint Decarbonisation Working Group (JDWG) for the oil and gas sector, restating its commitment to end routine gas flaring by 2030. The group aims to coordinate emissions measurement, improve monitoring and reporting systems, and unlock climate finance and carbon market investments. Officials framed decarbonisation as both an environmental obligation and an economic necessity, with natural gas positioned as the country's transition fuel for industrial growth. The working group brings together government institutions, regulators, industry operators, and development partners. It will focus on technology deployment, methane leak detection, satellite monitoring, and stronger measurement, reporting, and verification mechanisms. The National Council on Climate Change noted that capturing flare gas can turn environmental waste into economic value while creating jobs and improving energy security. This announcement follows earlier reports that Nigeria lost an estimated $1.5 billion to gas flaring in 2024. The working group's success will depend on enforcement of existing regulations and actual investment in flare capture infrastructure, areas where Nigeria has historically struggled to deliver on policy commitments.
