NIGERIA – The European Union (EU) has announced plans to support Nigeria with about US$164 million (€150 million) to enable it tackle challenges of climate change.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and Head of delegation, Mr Ketil Karlsen, disclosed this at the European Union Climate Sustainability Event, held at the Dangote Business School, Bayero University Kano, in September this year.

Karlsen said the EU would also give Nigeria additional US$ 8.7 million (8 million euro) as technical support for effective implementation of non-climate change issues in the country.

Kalsen noted that there was an urgent need for the Federal Government to address the challenges of climate change, which could affect agriculture, the environment as well as humans.

 “We all need to come together to provide sustainable solutions to climate change by ensuring transformational change to affordable energy,” added Kalsen.

 The EU ambassador also added that they wanted to see a thriving Nigeria where climate change is tacked and affordable energy is made accessible to all.

He said the EU would soon launch a climate change programme to help Nigeria in finding better policies and ways where everyone could contribute.

The ambassador also reminded the stakeholders present that Nigeria was one of the top ten countries in the world that were most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

He also noted that Kano was already experiencing the adverse effects of climate change and it was hindering opportunities of development while at the same time catalysing conflict.

He thus commended the students for taking an active role in combating climate change saying that it was “exactly the right thing to do.”

Ganduje, the state’s governor who was represented by the state’s Head of service, Dr Kabiru Shehu, noted that electricity was in a bad shape in the country.

He stressed the need to take urgent steps, which would ensure that Nigerians benefit from the renewable energy project.

The event which was themed ‘Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future’, was also attended by France Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Jérôme Pasquier.