Stakeholders Call for Collective Action on Gas Decarbonisation for Climate Sustainability in Africa 

Esther Oluku and Light Nwobodo 

The Director General, National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Omotenioye Majekodunmi, has called for collective action towards gas decarbonisation to accelerate Africa’s climate sustainability goal.

The NCCC DG made the submission in her keynote address at the 2026 Green Conference held in Lagos themed, “Decarbonising Africa: Pathway to Climate Finance, Sustainable Growth and Green Economy.” 

According to her, while the task of investing in industrialisation while ensuring climate sustainability are pressing, African economies must embrace both concurrently while maintaining responsible development and fair use so that both can advance together.

“The role of gas and natural gas systems has not been to create high-emission greenhouse gas. It must become wind gas. This means ending heating and flaring, deploying advanced green sector technologies, integrating carbon capture, utilization, and storage, and designing future-ready wind and solar systems,” she said.

Gas, she said, provides a reliable source of energy required to power industrial activities, from steel and cement to chemicals and fertilizers, while also serving as a stabilising factor for the rapid expansion of renewable energy. 

She opined that Africa must look towards decarbonising gas to bridge its energy needs while supporting her climate targets.

“Africa must therefore approach the global climate challenge, not from a position of a policy. The future is decarbonised gas working alongside the global energy needs while meeting climate targets,” she said.

She mentioned that the Nigerian government has already taken concrete steps towards gas decarbonisation in Nigeria. “This framework establishes a robust architecture for maintaining, monitoring, emission, reduction, capacity building, and climate awareness. 

On his part, the Director General, Niger State Agency for Green Initiatives, Mr. Daniel Galadima, who also signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with GreenPlinth to deliver 2 million clean cookstoves to indigent residents in Niger state, expressed confidence in GreenPlinth Africa’s clean cookstoves campaign noting that it is a step towards democratising access to clean energy.