President Bola Tinubu has positioned Nigeria at the forefront of a sustainable economic future, leveraging a major international platform to attract global investment and forge strategic partnerships. The President's active participation at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) culminated in the signing of a landmark trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates and significant announcements on climate finance.
Historic UAE-Nigeria Pact and Investopia Announcement
In a ceremony witnessed by top officials from both nations, President Tinubu and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan oversaw the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). This strategic pact is designed to significantly deepen trade and cooperation across vital sectors including renewable energy, infrastructure, logistics, and digital trade.
President Tinubu hailed the agreement as a historic milestone that will create long-term opportunities. He also made a major announcement: Nigeria will co-host the global investment platform, Investopia, with the UAE in Lagos next month. The event aims to convene investors, innovators, and policymakers to translate ideas into concrete investments and accelerate sustainable capital flows into Nigeria.
Nigeria's Green Transition Blueprint Unveiled
Addressing the summit, President Tinubu outlined Nigeria's integrated approach to the sustainability challenge. He declared that the country is aligning climate action with energy access and economic growth, viewing the transition as an opportunity for job creation and inclusive development.
The President disclosed Nigeria's ambitious target to unlock between $20 billion and $30 billion in climate and green industrialisation finance annually. He detailed concrete governance steps already taken, including the adoption of the National Carbon Market Activation Policy and the launch of a National Carbon Registry to improve emissions tracking.
Tinubu also pointed to the Electricity Act of 2023 as a key reform, enabling decentralised energy delivery to power rural communities, schools, and healthcare facilities. "We are ready to work with partners across the world to ensure that the next era of development is green, inclusive, just, and enduring," the President affirmed.
Solid Minerals Development Gains Momentum
In a related development that supports the green industrial vision, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, highlighted Nigeria's progress in mineral value addition. Speaking ahead of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Alake stated that new processing plants are positioning Nigeria as Africa's leading minerals hub.
He confirmed that a gold refining plant is already operational in Lagos, with three more under development. Furthermore, a $600 million lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State is ready for commissioning. These facilities are critical for supplying minerals essential for the global shift to green energy, such as lithium for batteries.
During meetings with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, both parties agreed to advance a practical Memorandum of Understanding on solid minerals development, leveraging areas of comparative advantage.
The series of high-level engagements in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh underscore a coordinated Nigerian strategy to become a reliable partner in the global sustainability drive, linking trade, investment, and domestic industrialisation to a future-focused economic agenda.
