GBCN Holds Dialogue on How to Localise Nigeria’s Action Plan for Decarbonisation

Bennett Oghifo

The Green Building Council of Nigeria (GBCN) is holding dialogues across the country on how to operationalise the action plans it developed reduce carbon emissions from buildings, and cities, making them more resilient to climate change impacts.

Specifically, these dialogues are held to localise Nigeria’s Action Plan for Decarbonisation and Resilience in the building and construction industry. 

The dialogue that was held in Lagos was organised by the Green Building Council Nigeria (GBCN) in partnership with the Lagos State Office of e-GIS and Urban Development, under the World Green Building Council’s global Be Bold on Buildings campaign.

At the South-west dialogue on the NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings Project, which was held in Lagos, President of Green Building Council Nigeria, Danjuma Waniko said similar dialogues will be held in the North-central and South-south regions ahead of COP30, (United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held in Belém, Brazil, from 10 to 21 November 2025.) where the global construction sector, believed to be responsible for nearly 40 per cent of energy-related emissions, is expected to play a central role in climate planning.

Waniko, an Architect, said, “We are proud to be part of the global ‘Be Bold on Buildings’ campaign. This is Nigeria’s opportunity to lead by example in Africa and ensure buildings are no longer part of the problem, but central to the solution.”

He said there are five countries involved; Nigeria, Brazil, Colombia, the Philippines and Egypt. “We’ve been running a check since last year August. We’ve done about four national workshops in Abuja, starting from October all the way through to May this year. And after that, we develop what we call an Action Plan – what we need to do to address climate change impacts in Nigeria’s buildings and cities. 

“So having developed that action plan, we thought,  the next phase is, how do we now operationalise or actualise it. So we’re doing a series of regional workshops, three of them starting in the South-west, in Lagos. “The idea is to engage with sector stakeholders, including government, industry, finance, and then kind of just say, Okay, this is what we’ve come up with, does it work in your context? Then, how do we take the plan and make it real?”

He also discussed sustainable building practice, which the Green Building Council is also advocating, wondering what the response of states government has been so far in terms of domesticating the national operating code.

He said, “I think out of all the sub-nationals in Nigeria, I would have to commend Lagos State, because, yes, they haven’t quite got there, in the sense that they haven’t launched and started implementing their plan yet, but at least the plan has been developed.”

He said though the National Building Code has not been given legal backing by the National Assembly, but that states should be able to develop regulations that suit them.

According to him, “We have a building code. It doesn’t even have statutory backing, because the National Assembly has not approved it. But one of the problems we have in Nigeria is that we keep looking to the national government, but we forget that building and city-related action is the responsibility of the state, really. So even if the National Assembly, for example, had legislated the National Building Code, it has no applicability in Lagos, because building approval, land use regulation, other planning is the constitutional responsibility of states. So, putting aside the fact that the national government has not done yet, the question now becomes, okay, what are the states doing? At least Lagos has gone much further than many.”

The Director of Research and Innovation, GBCN, Omoyemi Olayiwola said the workshop produced over 45 actionable takeaways. “But the bigger takeaway is that we need measurable impact, not just policies on paper. That’s what the Scorecard and this next phase of engagement are all about.”

The Technical and Innovation Officer, GBCN, Sangeetha Ramaraj said, “This workshop helps surface these realities and chart a way forward.”  

A Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Urban Development, Mr. Segun Williams,  said Lagos had long been a leader in green reforms.

Williams, who represented the Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Abiodun Babatunde, said, “This dialogue aligns with our commitment to supporting the adoption of sustainable development, green energy, and green building practices in Lagos.”

Caption: L-R: Representative of President Bola Tinubu and Minister of Works, David Umahi; Abia State Governor, Alex Chioma Otti; and his Deputy, Ikechukwu Emetu, behind the Deputy Governor is the Regional Manager, Region South and East, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc., Friedrich Wieser, behind whom is the Director, Administration of the company, Alh. Dr. Abdulaziz Kaita, at the commissioning of the reconstructed Port Harcourt Road, Aba… recently