Federal Government to Slash COP29 Costs by N10 Billion, Eliminate Pavilion Rental and Cut Wasteful Expenditures
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The Federal Government has announced a reduction in spending for the forthcoming COP29 climate conference, which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
During a briefing with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, announced that the government plans to reduce expenses for the upcoming COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, potentially saving around N10 billion over the 11-day event.
Ngelale recalled that at COP28 in Dubai last year, there was significant criticism regarding the size of the Nigerian delegation led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He emphasized that the decision to cut official expenditures is aimed at preventing a repeat of the issues faced during the Dubai conference.
To reduce expenses, the government has decided to forgo renting a $500,000 pavilion and will instead establish a delegation office on-site.
Additionally, plans to use external consultancies and subcontractors for lighting and other technological needs will be scrapped, as these services will now be managed directly by the National Council on Climate Change.
The cost savings will be facilitated through the introduction and use of a climate accountability and transparency portal.
“There was some intentional misinformation,” he stated. “However, we also discovered that some government officials attended the meeting without valid reasons, and there were instances of excessively large delegations.”
In response to recent concerns, President Bola Tinubu has authorized a comprehensive audit to fully understand the issues surrounding the recent COP28 conference and to implement measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The audit, conducted under my leadership in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action and by Dr. Nkiruka Madukwe, the Director General and CEO of the National Council on Climate Change, has provided a detailed account of the expenditures at COP28. This analysis aims to ensure that future spending leading up to COP29 will contribute to the economic empowerment of our people and the development of our nation.
The audit revealed that substantial funds were wasted on certain platforms during COP28 in Dubai. To address this, we have decided that there will be no showcase pavilion for the federal government at COP29. Instead, we will use the delegation office on-site at the conference complex, which offers a more cost-effective solution. This approach aligns with our commitment to reducing costs and improving efficiency.
“We have determined that by adopting this approach, we will eliminate the nearly $500,000 expense for the showcase pavilion that was used at COP28.
Instead, the delegates’ office, which will be used for bilateral meetings and other functions previously held in the pavilion, will cost less than 10% of the pavilion’s expense. This change reflects the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to meet the demands of Nigerians for more efficient use of resources.
Moreover, by avoiding costly pavilion spaces during these challenging economic times, we are also addressing unnecessary expenses related to consultancies and subcontracted services for lighting and technology. These services will now be managed directly by the Secretariat of the National Council on Climate Change.
Thanks to the climate accountability and transparency portal and our efforts to cut redundant expenditures identified in the COP28 audit, we project savings of over N10 billion for this 11-day event in November, COP29,” he added.
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