News Investigators/ The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has identified energy sovereignty, equitable climate financing and workers’ protection as major priorities ahead of 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31).
NLC National Coordinator, Climate Change and Just Transition, Eche Asuzu, said this at the 2026 Tripartite Pre-COP31 meeting on Saturday in Abuja.
The meeting was organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in collaboration with the congress.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the COP31 starts on Monday, Nov. 9 and ends on Friday, Nov. 20.
Mr Asuzu said that Africa must pursue an energy transition that guaranteed affordable electricity, sustainable development and economic independence, while ensuring that climate financing does not deepen the continent’s debt burden.
“We need energy sufficiency, sovereignty and independence. Energy must also be affordable, accessible and sustainable for communities, workers and businesses.
“Although many African countries have political sovereignty, their energy policies and financing arrangements are still influenced by external interests.
“We must avoid a situation where Africa simply replaces dependence on fossil fuels with dependence on foreign technologies and external financing,” he said.
The coordinator said that energy access remained a critical development challenge, noting that approximately 600 million people across Africa lacked access to electricity.
According to him, unreliable electricity supply undermines productivity, weakens businesses and limits employment opportunities, making energy access an economic and social development issue.
Mr Asuzu said that climate finance was another major priority, stressing the need to mobilise adequate investments for energy infrastructure, technological innovation and renewable energy development.
He identified hydrogen, geothermal, wind, solar and biomass as emerging energy options, but said African countries must develop technological independence.
The NLC coordinator said mitigation negotiations must recognise differences between developed and developing countries, particularly their varying levels of industrialisation and development.
He said that developing countries required opportunities to address poverty, unemployment and inadequate infrastructure while pursuing climate action and environmental sustainability.
Mr Asuzu said that the Dubai Consensus adopted at COP28 emphasised that the transition away from fossil fuels must be just, orderly and equitable.
He urged African countries to ensure that their vulnerabilities and development priorities were adequately reflected in discussions on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA).
‘’COP31 should advance the GGA framework, particularly the development of indicators for measuring progress in climate change adaptation, ‘’ he said.
On loss and damage, Mr Asuzu called for adequate resources and effective implementation of the fund to support countries suffering the consequences of climate change.
He also urged developed countries to demonstrate commitment to the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance, including the proposed mobilisation of 1.3 trillion dollars annually.
“We must distinguish between promises and guaranteed financial commitments.
‘’We want to know where the money will come from, how it will be mobilised and how developing countries will access it,” he said.
He warned that climate financing through excessively high-interest loans could worsen the sovereign debt crisis confronting developing countries, particularly across Africa.
“Our position is that climate finance should be provided mainly through grants or concessional loans with affordable interest rates,” Asuzu said.
He also called for the operationalisation of the Just Transition Mechanism, adopted at COP30, to ensure effective implementation within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Mr Asuzu stressed that organised labour must be represented in the mechanism, noting that workers’ participation in climate decision-making should not be taken for granted.
He said that climate financing should also address workplace emissions, improve working conditions and support workers affected by the transition to sustainable production.
The NLC coordinator urged labour unions to intensify advocacy to ensure that climate policies and financing mechanisms adequately protected workers and promoted decent employment.
‘’The congress will continue to advance workers’ interests and ensure that Africa’s development priorities received adequate attention during COP31 negotiations, ‘’ Asuzu said.
Also, ILO National Project Coordinator, Mr Steve Agugua, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to workers’ participation, saying their involvement remained central to its mandate and activities in climate policy implementation too.
“Workers are an integral part of the International Labour Organisation, and our work will not be complete without their participation; their voices must shape ILO activities directly.,” he said
Rhoda Boateng, Climate Change Expert with the International Trade Union Confederation, said COP31 would feature thematic-led issues, including electrification and green industrialisation, alongside established negotiation tracks as key priorities.
Ms Boateng said that African negotiators had faced resistance in advancing industrialisation, describing the new thematic approach as an opportunity to secure meaningful and consistent outcomes for Africa and African workers there.
She said that the Turkish Government was promoting a proposed target of increasing global electrification rates to 35 per cent by 2035, urging scrutiny to protect African interests across the continent.
She urged policymakers to reflect African trade union demands in COP31 resolutions, encouraged media engagement, and described NLC as an important partner in advancing workers’ priorities at the conference.
NAN