Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has received Dr Mari Pangestu, World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships.
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, said on Friday that this is Pangestu’s first visit to Nigeria and her first country visit outside of Washington DC since she was appointed in March.
Akande said the duo discussed a number of issues especially around climate change and energy access.
“Of course, she gave a brief to the vice president talking about climate change, some of the outcomes of COP26.
“The vice president stated some of the things that the president said especially the fact that Nigeria could likely meet the target by 2050 like President Muhmmadu Buhari said but more realistically, 2060.
“The vice president restated that in Nigeria, as in other developing countries, there are challenges of climate change but there are also challenges of energy access.’’
He said that the vice president expressed concern that as Nigeria and other developing countries were dealing with the issue of climate change, they were also dealing with the critical issue of energy access.
Akande said the World Bank managing director agreed that the international community would take that kind of dual strategy to deal with the issue.
He said that Pangestu also implied in her comments that developing countries needed assistance in the transition to net zero emission.
“She also mentioned the fact that that issue of the help that developing countries require in order to attain net zero emission is quite important,’’ Akande said.
President Buhari, had on Nov.2, while addressing the COP26, Leaders’ Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, pledged that Nigeria would cut its emissions to net zero by 2060.
