Abuja is prioritising low emission and climate resilient development to transition to a more sustainable city

The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) is in the process of identifying the sectors and communities which are most impacted by, or are the biggest contributors to, climate change impacts in the city.

Earlier this year, the AMAC participated in a kick-off workshop where  Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA) partners, GIZ and ICLEI Africa introduced AMAC officials and other stakeholders to the CoM SSA initiative and the process of developing a Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SEACAP).

One of the crucial first steps in a signatory’s sustainability journey with the CoM SSA is to investigate what the future would look like if a local government does not take climate action. In order to do this a city must carry out three key actions:

1. Baseline Emissions Inventory (BEI) to identify the key sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and locate the top emission contributors. 

2. Risk and Vulnerability Assessment to pinpoint the sectors and population groups most vulnerable to climate change.

3. Access to Energy Assessment to understand the city’s energy profile.

These three baseline reports will inform what climate and energy targets are set and what actions will be taken to move towards low emission and climate resilient development.

Officials are now moving forward by undertaking these crucial studies to determine their baseline greenhouse gas emissions, baseline vulnerability to climate impacts and baseline energy profile.

The AMAC’s Arc. Andrew Gaza emphasizes the importance of these actions saying: “The baseline assessments will give us a picture of the situation on the ground and that is critical to us, as a local government, because without it we will not know which area has the most and least challenges.”

Although the AMAC only joined the CoM SSA in 2021, it already has big aspirations to achieve their commitment to reducing emissions and enhancing access to sustainable energy.

The AMAC Chairman, Hon. Mayor Abdullahi Adamu Candido hopes the municipality will set an example for others: “The vision we have for AMAC is to achieve the best and continue to set the pace for others to emulate. We envision the city creating synergies with other institutions of governance to ensure excellence in every service that the government is tasked with. We are not just going to concentrate on developing the city but also see what can be done to attract development in the suburbs.”

As the municipality tackles climate change, authorities say they are fighting for human livelihoods and encourage surrounding local governments to become part of CoM SSA to gain an opportunity to learn about climate change impacts and understand how to take action as a government.