The European Union, through UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory, is building capacity among stakeholders and negotiators in Nigeria’s climate sector to address methane emissions.

Marci Paranski, programme manager officer of UNEP International Methane Emissions Observatory, stated this at the capacity-building workshop on methane for the Nigerian oil and gas sector on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ms Paranski said that the workshop marked the beginning of activities in Nigeria for the Nigeria Emissions Reduction Programme.

The project, funded by the EU Delegation to Nigeria and implemented by UNEP’s IMEO, aims to establish a national baseline for methane emissions in Nigeria, covering oil and gas, agriculture, and waste sectors.

Ms Paranski added, “Nigeria is pioneering a groundbreaking initiative in Africa, aiming to establish a national baseline for methane emissions. This endeavour seeks to understand the contributions of the oil and gas sector, agriculture, and waste to national methane emissions over a one-year period.

“To achieve this, we will collaborate with various scientific partners within and outside Nigeria to scope out the study. Our capacity-building activities will include today’s oil and gas training workshop, among others. We are working closely with partners at the National Council on Climate Change, the European Union Delegation, Stakeholder Democracy Network, and Carbon Limits.”

According to her, this is just the beginning, as this project spans three years and will encompass multiple activities.

Nkiruka Maduekwe, CEO of NCCC,  commended Nigeria’s commitment to reduce methane emissions by 2030.

She stated, “Building on this momentum, the government introduced methane guidelines and gas flaring prevention regulations in 2023 to regulate the sector and reduce methane emissions.

“Methane is a short-lived yet extremely hazardous pollutant, earning it the label ‘super pollutant.’ To address this, the NCCC Secretariat, supported by the European Union and UNEP, is driving a capacity-building programme.

“This programme is crucial, as understanding the issues is essential to implementing research findings and effectively reducing methane emissions.”

She explained that the capacity-building programme would help identify needed infrastructure, implement regulations, and utilise UNEP’s research outputs.

(NAN)