Nigeria wants to host COP32 in Lagos

Nigeria has officially announced its intention to host the UN climate summit, COP32, in Lagos in 2027. The announcement came as Simon Stiell, head of the UN's climate branch, visited the West African megalopolis, Africa's most populous. At a symposium on Thursday, Nkiruka Maduekwe, chair of the National Council on Climate Change, said that Lagos "has what it takes" to organise this major event.

"Nigeria has demonstrated its leadership as a champion of climate action. It is time for us to host a COP", she added at a press briefing. Tokunbo Wahab, Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, added: "If Baku can do it, why can't Lagos? The Ministry of the Environment told X that the event would strengthen the country's "climate leadership, global visibility and economic opportunities".

The decision will be taken by the African Group at COP30 in Brazil in November 2025, before a vote by international consensus. Nigeria, the first to apply, will face competition from other African nations, five years after COP27 in Egypt. Stiell welcomed the bid, but pointed out that a competitive "process" is in place, encouraging Nigeria to join its regional group.

As Africa's leading oil producer, Nigeria is heavily dependent on fossil fuels, which account for almost half of its budget. Yet it is also the only African country with a legal target of zero net emissions by 2060. This duality marks its position: it is pushing for increased climate funding from rich countries, a demand reiterated by Maduekwe at COP29, where she denounced the agreement of $300 billion a year by 2035 as "insufficient".

Lagos, with its 20 million inhabitants, could become a symbol of this climate ambition, but the road to 2027 is still fraught with diplomatic and logistical challenges.