By Joan Nwagwu
The Federal Government and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have inaugurated Phase II of the Social Dimension of Ecological Transition Project to strengthen climate action, decent work and inclusive economic growth.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammed Dingyadi, said this on Thursday in Abuja at the inauguration of the project by the ILO and its tripartite constituents.
Dingyadi described the initiative as a major step toward ensuring that climate action delivers social justice, sustainable development and inclusive economic growth.
He said the renewed programme, spanning 2025 to 2029, would move Nigeria beyond policy commitments to practical implementation that benefits workers, employers, enterprises and communities across the country.
“The renewal of this programme is an opportunity to move from policy commitment to implementation and turn shared aspirations into measurable progress for workers, employers and communities,” he said.
The minister said the Phase II project would focus on supporting sustainable local businesses, creating decent green jobs, improving livelihoods, strengthening enterprises and building resilient communities in line with national development priorities.
“The real test is implementation. Commitments must become investments, policies must become programmes and programmes must produce results that citizens can see and feel,” Dingyadi said.
“Let us work together to ensure that Nigeria’s climate commitments deliver decent jobs, stronger enterprises, resilient communities, social justice and renewed hope for all Nigerians,” he added.
The ILO Country Representative, Ms Vanessa Phala, said the project, implemented with support from the Government of France, had entered its second phase after recording significant achievements between 2020 and 2025.
Phala said more than 100 government institutions and social partners were trained during the first phase, strengthening national capacity on Just Transition and laying a solid foundation for implementation.
“One of our most significant achievements was integrating Just Transition into Nigeria’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). This placed Nigeria among the few global leaders to do so,” Phala said.
According to her, Phase II would prioritise implementation of the Just Transition Guidelines and Action Plan while promoting clean energy solutions and supporting Nigeria’s transition to sustainable energy systems.
She added that the project aligned with Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and other national development frameworks.
She expressed confidence that continued collaboration among government, employers, workers and development partners would ensure the success of the project.
The Director-General, National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Mrs Omotenioye Majekodunmi, said climate action could no longer be separated from human dignity, green jobs and economic survival, stressing the need for an inclusive transition.
Majekodunmi said the council remained committed to ensuring that every transition from high-carbon systems protected workers, promoted social dialogue and guaranteed that no Nigerian was left behind.
“Phase two aligns perfectly with our national and global priorities by translating climate commitments into tangible social and economic benefits,” she said.
She said Nigeria had developed and validated its Just Transition Guidelines and Action Plan, stressing that Phase II would focus on implementation through clean energy expansion, green jobs and support for the country’s NDC 3.0.
She appreciated the Government of France and the ILO for sustaining the partnership, expressing confidence that the initiative would promote green industrialisation, sustainable development and equitable opportunities for present and future generations.
Also, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Joe Ajaero, said workers must remain at the centre of Nigeria’s ecological transition, describing just transition as essential to protecting livelihoods and promoting social justice.
Ajaero, who was represented by Mrs Chinyere Amogwu, Assistant National Coordinator on Climate Change Justice in the NLC, called for greater workers’ participation in climate governance.
“The transition must be just, orderly and equitable. Climate change laws and policies should be more inclusive and representative of the views of those who bear the biggest burden of this transition – the workers,” Ajaero said.
He urged the Federal Executive Council to adopt the validated Just Transition Guidelines and Action Plan for immediate implementation, while advocating workers’ representation in the governance structure of the Climate Change Act.