UNN Pushes for Transparent Carbon Market Approval Criteria in Nigeria

Nigeria's University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) is urging the government to adopt clear and transparent criteria for approving carbon market projects. At a stakeholder workshop in Abuja, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Simon Ortuanya called for evidence-based host country approval (HCA) criteria to guide project eligibility, screening, and assessment. The criteria are meant to cover measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), environmental safeguards, alignment with Nigeria's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and carbon accounting to prevent double counting. The workshop, organized by the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) and the Resource and Environmental Policy Research Centre (REPRC-EfD Nigeria), aims to refine the HCA criteria. NCCC Director General Dr. Omotenioye Majekodunmi stressed that carbon markets can mobilize climate finance and support green industrialization if underpinned by clear goals and transparency. The proposed criteria are designed to protect national interests while giving credible investors certainty and ensuring communities receive fair benefits. For project developers and investors, clear HCA criteria reduce uncertainty and help Nigeria attract climate finance. The final criteria, expected to be validated after the workshop, will determine how effectively Nigeria's carbon market operates. This move aligns with Nigeria's efforts to institutionalize carbon market governance under the Climate Change Act 2021.