Nigeria and the United States opened a new chapter in their bilateral relations with the visit of a high-level delegation from California to the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) on Thursday in Abuja.
The delegation, numbering about forty persons—government officials, business leaders and academics—was led by the State’s Secretary of Transportation, Adetokunbo Omishakin, according to a statement on Thursday.
In her welcome remarks at the session, which took the form of a working lunch, the Director-General of the NCCC, Tenioye Majekodunmi, said, “Your mission to Nigeria couldn’t have come at a better time, given the increasing demand for energy across the country as a result of its size and population. Its population of over 230 million, constituting a huge consumer base and workforce, can be leveraged as a catalyst for investment opportunities that drive sustainable economic growth.”
She identified key focus areas of the ‘California-Nigeria Partnership’ to include climate change mitigation, technology, and industrial trade.
Majekodunmi added, “Be assured that this Partnership is indeed a welcome one, and you have the full support of the NCCC.”
Highlighting the significance of the visit, Secretary Omishakin said, “We came here to talk about opportunities to grow the economic potential between Nigeria and California, and also discuss the existential issue of climate change. California has been providing global leadership on environmental issues for the last 50 years, and we think that we can exchange mutually beneficial ideas with Nigeria to advance our mutual economic agenda and the agenda around climate change.”
Khalil S. Halilu, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), pledged the readiness of the agency to serve as local partner for any planned investments by the businesses on the delegation, adding that it is “the biggest investor on behalf of the Nigerian government, in terms of going green”, with a focus on domestication, commercialization and transfer of new technologies.
Majekodunmi delivered a presentation highlighting the milestones achieved by the NCCC, which was established in 2021 following the passage of Nigeria’s Climate Change Act. These include completion of the first draft of Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution, under the framework of the Paris Climate Agreement; submission of Nigeria’s first Biennial Transparency Report; and the completion of the design of the structure of Nigeria’s planned National Climate Change Fund.
During a Q&A session, questions and discussions touched on climate-smart agriculture, plastic recycling, innovative technologies to reduce methane emissions, and the leveraging of carbon credits to mobilise needed investment financing. Speakers also restated the importance of collaboration to scale up the response to climate change, while commending Nigeria for its commitment.
Members of the California delegation included Dilpreet Sidhu, Deputy Mayor of International Affairs for the City of Los Angeles, representatives of the California Energy Commission, Africa-USA Chamber of Commerce & Industry, University of California, Davis, and business executives from Autodesk, SynBioBeta, MEBO, among others.
The session marks a decisive step in ongoing efforts to advance Nigeria’s economic and climate ambitions under the leadership of Majekodunmi, who assumed office as Director General of the NCCC on August 6, 2025.
Through relentless focus on peer-to-peer learning, climate technology transfer, and robust economic cooperation, the NCCC is poised to move swiftly in translating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda into concrete results.
California—an international climate action leader and the world’s fourth-largest economy, with more than $675 billion in two-way trade—is an ideal strategic partner for Nigeria. Together, the two economies can amplify ambitions in high technology, agriculture, entertainment, trade, and inclusive green growth, unlocking opportunities that deliver tangible benefits for both nations.
