BudgIT Foundation officials speak at a stakeholders’ roundtable in Abuja on improving transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s climate-related spending.
A civic technology organisation, the BudgIT Foundation has called for improved transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in Nigeria’s climate-related spending.
The organisation warned that weak budget tracking and reporting could undermine efforts to tackle climate change.
Speaking in Abuja, at a stakeholders’ roundtable on fiscal sustainability and climate action, the Deputy Country Director of BudgIT Foundation, Vahyala Kwaga, noted that developing countries like Nigeria face disproportionate impacts from climate change despite contributing less to global emissions.
Kwaga highlighted major gaps in Nigeria’s climate finance framework, including:
- Lack of proper tagging of climate-related budget line items
- Fragmentation of climate initiatives across agencies
- Poor and delayed reporting on climate financing and interventions
He noted that although some state governments provide detailed budget implementation reports, the federal level still lags in transparency and timely disclosure. “We believe citizens must engage their representatives and demand accountability, especially on issues like climate change that affect everyone, particularly vulnerable communities,” he said.
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Senior Programmes Officer at BudgIT Foundation, Ms Alice Adedayo, revealed that Nigeria recorded about $2.5 billion in climate finance inflows between 2021 and 2022, largely through public debt financing.
She stressed the need to mainstream climate action into public finance systems while ensuring economic stability and avoiding excessive public debt.
Adedayo affirmed that BudgIT and partner civil society organisations plan to establish a working group to improve climate budget tagging using the national chart of accounts, making projects easier to track.
Also speaking, BudgIT’s Head of Natural Resource and Climate Governance Enebi Opaluwa, said open budgets are essential for transparency, participation, and accountability.
He noted that delays in Nigeria’s budget cycle have affected implementation of climate projects and called for reforms such as:
- Restoring the traditional budget timeline
- Publishing quarterly budget implementation reports on schedule
- Releasing updated audited financial statements
- Strengthening public financial management systems
Opaluwa suggested that improved reporting would boost investor and development partner confidence in Nigeria’s climate finance readiness.
BudgIT urged citizens and the media to actively monitor climate-related spending by participating in budget town halls, tracking projects online, and holding government accountable at federal, state, and local levels.
“When citizens are involved and informed, governments are more responsive and responsible,” Opaluwa added.
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