Nigeria Secures $50,000 Biodiversity Grant at Global COP17 Summit

Nigeria has secured a $50,000 seed grantto accelerate biodiversity conservation as global leaders announce fresh funding commitments at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.

The conference, running from October 19 to 30, 2026, is focused on advancing the 30x30 target of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to conserve at least 30 per cent of the world’s land, inland waters, marine and coastal areas by 2030.

During a finance-day session, governments and sub-national authorities pledged approximately $60 million to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), which was launched in August 2023 to support biodiversity conservation and restoration.

The fund has attracted $446 million in commitments and allocated $362.1 million to 82 projects across 87 countries, with 32 per cent of its resources supporting Indigenous Peoples and local communities and 39 per cent directed to Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.

The Global Environment Facility’s ninth replenishment (GEF-9) has also attracted nearly $4.4 billion for the 2026–2030 funding period, with Spain pledging €50 million, Uzbekistan contributing $4.5 million for the first time and the United Kingdom reaffirming its £330 million commitment.

Germany has additionally pledged €50 million to the GBFF by the end of 2026, reflecting efforts to translate global biodiversity commitments into practical conservation programmes. Nigeria’s grant was awarded through the Rapid Deployment Mechanism (RDM) of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, alongside grants for Costa Rica, Mexico, Nepal, Zambia, Rwanda and Kenya.

The Nigerian project, titled “Strengthening Nigeria’s 30×30 Progress through Ecological Connectivity, Terrestrial and Marine OECMs, and Protected Area Management Effectiveness,” will be implemented by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) to identify and map priority terrestrial and marine Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures, assess protected-area management and develop a national management effectiveness framework.

Sikeade Egbuwalo, Nigeria’s focal point to the CBD, said the support would help address fragmented habitats and advance the country’s 30x30 commitments, while NCF Director-General Joseph Onoja said the award reinforced the foundation’s role in biodiversity conservation and its collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment.

Nigeria is also promoting regional cooperation to establish effective high-seas Marine Protected Areas across West Africa, with Egbuwalo outlining regional coordination, scientific cooperation, enforcement and sustainable financing as key priorities during a high-level session organised by the BBNJ First Movers for the 30x30 target. These efforts are linked to the UN High Seas Treaty, formally known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, which provides a framework for protecting marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

West African high-seas ecosystems face persistent environmental, economic and security pressures associated with weak regulation, overexploitation and climate change, making stronger regional cooperation and effective conservation measures increasingly important.