Lagos ranked West Africa’s most climate-resilient city
By Adeola Ogunrinde
Lagos State has been ranked the most climate-resilient city in West Africa, while Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu received the Grand Laureate of Climate Governance award for leading what was described as the region’s most advanced and measurable climate governance system.
The ranking emerged from the 2026 West Africa Climate Governance Index (WACGI) assessment, an evidence-based study that evaluated all 209 sub-national governments across the 15 member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The assessment measured climate risk exposure, governance visibility, climate finance, transparency, public participation and implementation capacity.
According to the WACGI report, Lagos scored 86.3 out of 100, earning a Grade “A” and ranking ahead of Kano, the Federal Capital Territory, Greater Accra, Praia, Dakar, Porto-Novo, the Autonomous District of Abidjan, São Filipe and Bombali. The report said the assessment aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on Climate Action and Partnerships for the Goals, as well as the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
In recognition of the achievement, WACGI named Lagos the 2026 Best Performing Sub-national Government in West Africa and conferred the Grand Laureate of Climate Governance award on Sanwo-Olu for overseeing what it described as the region’s most resilient climate governance framework.
In a letter dated July 8, 2026, Director of Fondation Lucien Paye, Prof. Julie Peghini, congratulated the governor for championing policies aimed at mitigating climate-related risks and strengthening climate adaptation in Lagos. She said the award recognises the state’s leadership in advancing sustainable climate governance.
Peghini noted that the detailed assessment report and supporting datasets had been made publicly available through the official French Government data repository. She added that WACGI believes transparent, evidence-based evaluations can encourage institutional reforms, inspire high-performing governments and provide practical recommendations for jurisdictions seeking to strengthen their climate governance systems.
The West Africa Climate Governance Index is a France-based initiative established by the Africa Foundation (Lucien Paye) at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris to promote climate governance across ECOWAS member states. The organisation said its assessment framework is aligned with the provisions of the Paris Agreement and measures governments’ commitment to climate resilience through internationally recognised indicators.
The report also highlighted Nigeria’s climate governance framework, describing it as one of the most comprehensive in West Africa. It cited the Climate Change Act 2021, the National Council on Climate Change, the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), the Energy Transition Plan, the country’s long-term net-zero strategy and climate finance initiatives. However, it noted that Nigeria continues to face significant climate challenges, including coastal flooding and erosion in the South, desertification and extreme heat in the North, river flooding in the Middle Belt, agricultural vulnerability, gas flaring and risks associated with the transition from oil dependence.
