From Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has launched the development of the state’s maiden Climate Transition Plan, aimed at strengthening climate resilience, protecting biodiversity and promoting sustainable economic growth.
Otu, represented by the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, performed the flag-off on Tuesday during an inaugural workshop held at the State Library in Calabar.
The governor described climate change as an urgent economic, environmental and developmental challenge requiring coordinated action by the government, private sector and local communities.
Otu, who chairs the Cross River State Council on Climate Change, said the initiative aligned with his administration’s People First agenda and would provide a strategic framework for addressing changing weather patterns, unpredictable agricultural cycles and ecological displacement.
He noted that Cross River State occupied a strategic position in Nigeria’s conservation efforts, with more than half of the country’s remaining tropical rainforests, alongside valuable mangrove ecosystems and rich biodiversity that require deliberate protection.
According to him, the plan would begin with four baseline assessments across the state’s 18 local government areas, covering greenhouse gas emissions, climate risks and vulnerabilities, climate finance, and mitigation strategies.
He said the assessments would provide reliable data to support evidence-based climate action and policy development.
Governor Otu expressed appreciation to Future Funds, the Under2 Coalition and the Climate Group for providing the seed grant to support the assessments.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the state’s environmental, agricultural and green development initiatives.
The governor urged heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), local government chairmen, civil society organisations, community representatives and private-sector stakeholders to participate actively in the process.
He stressed that the success of the plan would depend on reliable data, collective ownership and practical implementation.
Otu also called on financial institutions and private-sector partners to explore green financing, green bonds and sustainable business models to support Cross River State’s transition to a greener economy.
He disclosed that the workshop would review and finalise the first-order drafts of the Cross River State Climate Change Policy and Action Plan and the Green Economy Policy and Action Plan.
The governor urged participants to develop a practical, inclusive and evidence-based framework capable of protecting natural resources, strengthening livelihoods and creating economic opportunities.
Earlier, the Director-General of the Cross River State Council on Climate Change, Dr. Edu Effiom, commended Governor Otu for establishing the council and providing the political leadership needed to advance climate governance in the state.
She explained that the workshop would initiate the development of the Climate Transition Plan, facilitate a review of its zero draft and commence baseline studies across the 18 local government areas.
Effiom stressed that the participation of MDAs and local government chairmen was essential to providing sector-specific data and technical contributions that would shape the plan’s targets, projections and policy priorities.
She maintained that climate action must be integrated into government budgets and local development plans to ensure effective implementation.
She added that the council was committed to coordinating the technical and institutional support required to drive the process.
In a goodwill message, the Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Cross River State Planning Commission, Dr. Bong Duke, described the initiative as a significant milestone in the state’s pursuit of long-term socioeconomic resilience.
The commission stressed that the Climate Transition Plan should not be treated merely as an environmental policy but as a central framework for future economic development, with climate adaptation and mitigation integrated into infrastructure planning, budgeting and sectoral strategies.
It pledged institutional cooperation with the State Council on Climate Change to ensure that technical data, economic targets and policy recommendations from the process were incorporated into the state’s medium- and long-term development plans.
The commission also called for contributions from development partners, civil society organisations, financial institutions and private-sector operators to ensure an inclusive and financially sustainable climate framework.
