Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, received the World Bank Managing Director of Development, Policy and Partnerships, Dr. Mari Pangestu.
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, who spoke with State House correspondents after the meeting, said it was Pangestu’s first visit to Nigeria.
Akande said it was her first country visit outside of Washington DC since she was appointed in March.
He 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 President Muhammadu Buhari said, especially the fact that Nigeria could likely meet the target by 2050, but more realistically by 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,” Akande said.
Akande said the World Bank managing director agreed that the international community would take that kind of dual strategy to deal with the issue.
“She also mentioned the fact that the issue of the help that developing countries require in order to attain net zero emission is quite important,” Akande said.
President Buhari had, on November2, while addressing the COP26, Leaders’ Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, pledged that Nigeria would cut its emissions to net zero by 2060.
