From COP28 to COP31: Damilola Hamid Balogun Reflects on Nigeria’s Energy Transition Following Engagement with President Tinubu

As global climate discussions continue to shift from pledges to implementation, Nigeria’s energy transition remains closely watched both at home and internationally. Reflections on Nigeria’s participation at COP28, alongside developments through COP29 and COP30, offer useful context as attention turns toward COP31 and the delivery phase of global climate action.

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) held in Dubai in December 2023, Nigeria took part in several high-level discussions focused on carbon market development, clean transportation, and energy transition pathways. One such event examined Nigeria’s emerging carbon market framework and its electric bus rollout programme, highlighting efforts to align climate action with economic and infrastructure reforms.

Following this event, Damilola Hamid Balogun, a clean energy practitioner and Co-Founder of the Youth Sustainable Development Network (YSDN), briefly engaged with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu. During the interaction, Balogun spoke about the importance of turning international climate commitments into practical outcomes that improve energy access, support businesses, and create opportunities for young people across Nigeria.

While brief, the engagement reflected a wider issue facing many developing economies: ensuring that global climate agreements translate into meaningful local impact. According to Balogun, progress will ultimately be measured not by announcements, but by how policies strengthen energy systems, support productivity, and deliver inclusive economic benefits.

Beyond this engagement, Balogun participated in several multilateral sessions at COP28, including events at the SDG7 Pavilion, the Pacific Islands Forum High-Level Side Event, and various national pavilions. These discussions focused on the need for evidence-based climate and energy policies, as well as the importance of considering long-term and generational impacts when designing transition strategies.

Since COP28, global climate negotiations have continued through COP29 and COP30, with growing emphasis on climate finance, adaptation, accountability, and just transition pathways. For Nigeria, these discussions have taken place alongside ongoing efforts to expand renewable energy, improve power access for small and medium-sized enterprises, advance clean cooking solutions, and strengthen readiness for carbon markets.

Balogun notes that the period between COP28 and COP31 is particularly important for implementation. He argues that the next phase of the climate process will focus less on new commitments and more on delivery, including financing mechanisms, regulatory clarity, and institutional capacity needed to sustain progress.

Through YSDN, Balogun has continued to work on practical energy transition initiatives, including youth capacity-building programmes, clean energy deployment for productive use, and community-level sustainability projects aligned with national and regional priorities. He describes this approach as part of a broader effort to ensure that youth-led organisations contribute directly to policy implementation and market development.

Looking ahead to COP31, Balogun suggests that Nigeria’s progress will increasingly be assessed based on three key areas: scaling clean energy solutions for productive use, strengthening climate finance and carbon market systems, and linking youth participation to job creation and enterprise development.

As global attention shifts further toward implementation, Nigeria faces an opportunity to demonstrate that climate action can support economic growth and social inclusion. Reflections from COP28, in this context, serve not as a retrospective milestone but as a reference point for the work still ahead, from COP29 and COP30 through to COP31 and beyond.