COP30: SPP Convenes African Climate Stakeholders to Chart Path for Ambitious NDCs Implementation
As Africa prepares for the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), a leading Nigerian civil society organisation, is convening a high-level continental engagement to address the gaps in the development and implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) across Africa.
Despite global momentum toward climate action, only 13 out of 54 African countries have submitted their updated NDCs 3.0. Experts attribute the slow pace to limited time, inadequate technical capacity, and insufficient financing.
To help address these challenges and shape Africa’s collective messaging for COP30, SPP will host a multi-country stakeholders’ webinar at 11 a.m. (WAT) on Friday, October 31, 2025, under the theme:
“COP30: Coordinating Ambitious NDCs Development and Implementation in Africa.”
The event will bring together key African climate stakeholders to examine the current landscape of national climate commitments, explore the intersection between NDC implementation and sustainable development, and frame practical pathways to strengthen ambition and action across the continent.
Discussions will also interrogate the governance frameworks guiding NDCs in Africa, highlight gender and youth inclusion, and identify priorities for African negotiators and policymakers ahead of COP30.
According to SPP, while 2025 has been dominated by discussions around NDCs 3.0, as of October 1, a significant gap of over 30GtCO₂e remains between current pledges and global targets. This implies that countries must not only increase their ambitions but also focus on robust implementation strategies that go beyond paper commitments.
Experts note that exploring innovative emissions reduction options and supporting conditional targets of developing nations could help close the gap and expand Africa’s contribution to global climate goals by 2035.
Speaking ahead of the event, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, President of SPP, emphasized that “Africa’s message at COP30 must reflect both ambition and implementation readiness — grounded in our development realities, but aligned with the urgency of the global climate agenda.”
The webinar will feature presentations and interventions from leading experts including:
Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, President, Society for Planet and Prosperity (Host)
Iskander Erzini Vernoit, Executive Director, IMAL Initiative for Climate and Development
Gbemisola Titilope Akosa, Executive Director, Centre for 21st Century Issues (C21st)
Samuel C. Okorie, UNFCCC Santiago Network Advisory Board Member (Youth Representative)
Peter Odhengo, Head of Climate Finance and Green Economy Unit, FLLoCA Programme, Kenya
Tirivanhu Muhwati, Climate Scientist, Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Zimbabwe
Gboyega Olorunfemi, Project Lead, Society for Planet and Prosperity
Nnaemeka Oruh, Senior Policy Analyst (Climate Change), Society for Planet and Prosperity
Interested participants can register to join the event at: https://shorturl.at/uLZ1.
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