NGO calls for accountability, inclusion in Nigeria’s shift to low-carbon economy

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

A non-governmental organisation, Development Watch Network (DWN), has called for transparency, accountability, and social equity to be placed at the heart of Nigeria’s energy transition agenda.

Speaking at a Civil Society/Media Roundtable on “Building a Framework for Engagements on Cost and Impacts of Energy Transition on Nigeria’s Economy,” DWN’s Executive Director, Abdulgaffar Akin, stressed that the process must be guided by sound principles of public finance management and fiscal sustainability.

The event, organised by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) with support from the Ford Foundation, brought together civil society leaders, media professionals, and non-state actors to examine the social, economic, and fiscal implications of Nigeria’s energy transition agenda.

Akin reiterated DWN’s commitment to promoting transparency and accountability in the use of public resources, especially regarding funding, subsidies, and investments in energy transition programmes in Nigeria, as well as climate change financing.

Participants underscored the need for an inclusive and participatory framework that gives voice to vulnerable communities and ensures that non-state actors are not left behind as Nigeria moves toward a low-carbon economy.

The roundtable ended with a shared commitment among stakeholders to deepen collaboration, improve access to data, and advocate for policy reforms that promote just and inclusive energy transition processes in Nigeria.

DWN commended NEITI and the Ford Foundation for convening the timely dialogue and expressed readiness to collaborate further with other stakeholders to ensure that the costs and benefits of Nigeria’s energy transition are equitably shared.