Climate summit: Lagos to unlock funding for ocean sustainability

In a bid to boost environmental sustainability, particularly the ocean, Lagos State is set to host the 2025 edition of its International Climate Change Summit (LICCS), with a strong focus and commitment to unlocking sustainable financing and innovation to strengthen coastal resilience and blue economy within the African continent.

Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State, expressed the state’s commitment to the sustainable funding at a news conference held in Lagos, recently ahead of the summit scheduled for November 6-7, 2025.

According to the commissioner, the summit, which is themed: “Blue Economy, Green Money: Financing Africa’s Coastal Resilience and Ocean Innovation,” would provide a strategic platform for governments, investors and global development partners to develop actionable solutions to climate-related challenges.

The theme, according to him, is timely as Lagos, a coastal megacity, faces increasing threats from flooding, coastal erosion, and rising sea levels.
“We are determined to turn those challenges into opportunities for economic growth and environmental sustainability,” Wahab assured at the media parley.
“The summit embodies our belief that vulnerability can be transformed into vision, and that Lagos’ coastal challenges can become a source of economic and ecological strength”.

Meanwhile, the 2025 edition is expected to attract over 1,200 delegates from across Africa and beyond, including global chief executive officers, financiers, researchers, and young innovators, all focused on mobilising resources for Africa’s climate resilience.

According to him, the summit will highlight four key areas: the blue economy, green finance, innovation and youth empowerment, and partnerships.

The areas, he noted, are aimed at creating long-term transformation for Lagos and other African coastal cities.

Wahab described the event as an avenue to position Lagos as Africa’s climate leadership hub, ahead of the COP30 global climate conference.

“Our goal is to make Lagos the climate capital of Africa, a city that not only adapts to change but leads it,” he said.

The summit is supported by partners such as Eko Atlantic, NIMASA, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), among others, who are supporting the state in advancing sustainable development.

Wahab called on the media, private sector, and the global community to actively engage in the summit, which, he said, would serve as a launchpad for innovative financing models for Africa’s climate resilience.

“Through this summit, Lagos is sending a clear message: Africa is not waiting to be rescued; we are ready to lead,” he said.

Earlier, Joanna Fabikun, head, corporate communications, Eko Atlantic City, outlined the city’s contributions to coastal protection and environmental sustainability.

She described the city as a model for resilience against climate-induced erosion in Lagos.

Fabikun, who narrated how the city was reclaimed, said the Eko project was born out of the need to tackle the severe coastal erosion that had threatened Victoria Island and parts of Lagos for decades.

On his part, Michael Bankole, technical lead for the summit, noted that the first day would feature different technical sessions and high-level panel discussions with international participation.

“The two-day programme will have stakeholders share insights on climate financing, economic resilience, and sustainable development,” Bankole said.

“The discussions will also focus on how to catalyse market-driven climate solutions, strengthen economic systems, and influence policy direction in line with the Federal Government’s climate adaptation agenda”.

He noted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had shown commitment to addressing climate-related economic issues and that the summit would complement such efforts by generating actionable strategies for implementation at the subnational level.

Speaking at the event, Dayo Mobereola, director-general, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), assured the Ministry of the agency’s readiness to partner with it in hosting the event.

Mobereola, who was represented by Tuti Hebron, deputy director, Deep Blue Project, NIMASA, said that the summit would provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to harness the vast potential of the blue economy.

The summit platform, he noted, would serve as an eye-opener to the world on what Lagos had to offer in areas such as coastal tourism, fishing, marine resource development, wealth and job creation, among other opportunities.