The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has called on the world to move beyond dialogue and debate in addressing climate change. He spoke at the ongoing 153rd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Arusha, Tanzania.
According to him, there is a need for structured legislative interventions across the globe. These interventions should rest on a pipeline of priority projects that investors can trust, and a platform to guide each viable project from idea to financing to completion.
Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu writes:
Every rainy season, as the rains pour, various communities suffer the harsh realities of climate change. The water rises, a drainage fails, a farm is lost, a family starts over from nothing.
Today, at the 153rd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Arusha, Tanzania, I made a presentation on a topic that is dear to my heart, particularly following the unfortunate incidents caused by climate change in some communities in my constituency.
My message was simple: our commitment to climate action must go beyond dialogue and debate to structured legislative interventions across the globe. These interventions should rest on a pipeline of priority projects that investors can trust, and a platform to guide each viable project from idea to financing to completion.
As a nation, the stakes are clear. Our Energy Transition Plan commits us to net-zero emissions by 2060 and will require about US$500 billion in new investment. That is an opportunity to build new markets, modernise infrastructure and create green jobs.
As legislators, we must take seriously our commitment to enforcing the Climate Change Act, scrutinising how climate funds are spent, backing credible green finance frameworks, and giving investors the legal certainty they need to commit.
Our green transition must be a just transition, with no region and no community left behind. With sound laws, credible institutions, global partnerships, and private-sector investment, we can turn commitments into infrastructure, jobs and shared prosperity.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/EcowasNewsOnline.com
