Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called on international leaders at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to unlock dedicated financing for climate projects, arguing that environmental sustainability is inseparable from economic development.
The Governor emphasised that the global community must treat climate action as a fundamental component of future-building rather than a peripheral issue. During his address at the UNGA session, Sanwo-Olu stated, “Climate action is not separate from development. It is central to how we build our future.”
His remarks come as Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub and a major coastal megacity, faces increasing threats from rising sea levels and more frequent flooding. These environmental challenges pose a direct risk to the state’s critical infrastructure, commercial activities, and the safety of millions of residents. Frequent flooding in the state has previously disrupted supply chains and caused significant economic losses for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The struggle for sub-national climate funding
While the necessity of climate adaptation is clear, the mechanism for accessing global funds remains a significant hurdle. Much of the international climate finance currently available is channeled through national governments, often making it difficult for state and local authorities to access the capital needed for direct, community-level projects.
For Lagos, addressing climate change requires massive investment in resilient drainage systems, sea walls, and sustainable urban planning. Without more direct pathways to green finance, the state must rely heavily on limited domestic resources to mitigate risks that are driven by global carbon emissions. This is particularly challenging given the high cost of large-scale engineering projects required for coastal protection.
The Governor’s call aligns with a growing movement among African leaders to reform the global financial architecture. Many continental leaders have argued that the current system imposes high interest rates on developing nations, making it prohibitively expensive to borrow money for the green transition.
The discussions at UNGA also coincide with ongoing debates regarding the “Loss and Damage” fund. This fund is intended to provide financial assistance to countries that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, despite contributing the least to global emissions.
The ability of African cities to implement long-term climate resilience programmes will depend on whether these international financial reforms move from high-level discussions to actionable, accessible credit lines. The next round of global climate negotiations will be a critical period for determining if these funding gaps can be closed.
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