Lagos State has emerged as the most climate-resilient city in West Africa after topping the 2026 West Africa Climate Governance Index (WACGI), a regional assessment that evaluated climate governance across 209 sub-national governments in the 15 member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by Gboyega Akosile, the Special Adviser to governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, which said the governor was also honoured with the prestigious Grand Laureate of Climate Governance award for overseeing what the assessment described as the region’s most resilient climate governance structure.
According to the WACGI, the assessment measured climate-risk exposure, governance visibility, climate finance, transparency, public participation and implementation capacity across the participating sub-national governments.
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Lagos scored 86.3 points out of 100, earning a Grade “A” rating to rank ahead of Kano, the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), Greater Accra, Praia, Dakar, Porto Novo, Abidjan Autonomous District, São Filipe and Bombali, among others.
The climate research body said the ranking aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 13 on Climate Action and 17 on Partnerships for the Goals, as well as the African Union’s Agenda 2063 aspiration for a prosperous and climate-resilient Africa.
In a notification letter dated July 8, 2026, the Director of Fondation Lucien Paye, Prof. Julie Peghini, congratulated Sanwo-Olu for championing policies aimed at mitigating climate-related risks and strengthening climate adaptation in Lagos.
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“In recognition of this achievement, we are pleased to confer upon Your Excellency and the Government of Lagos State the distinguished honour of the ‘Grand Laureate of Climate Governance’ for 2026 best performing subnational government in West Africa,” Peghini said.
She added that the formal report and raw datasets had been made publicly available on the official French Government data repository.
The WACGI is a France-based climate policy initiative established by the Africa Foundation (Lucien Paye) at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris to promote climate governance across ECOWAS member states through indicators aligned with the Paris Agreement.
Peghini said the publication reflected the organisation’s belief that transparent, evidence-based assessments could drive institutional improvements, noting that recognition of strong performers should inspire others while providing recommendations for governments seeking to strengthen their climate governance systems.
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The report also highlighted Nigeria’s broader climate governance framework, describing it as one of the most comprehensive in the region. It cited the Climate Change Act 2021, the National Council on Climate Change, the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), the Energy Transition Plan, the country’s long-term net-zero strategy and growing climate finance initiatives as key components of the framework.
However, the report noted that Nigeria continues to face significant climate challenges, including coastal flooding and erosion in the South, desertification and extreme heat in the North, riverine flooding in the Middle Belt, agricultural vulnerability, gas flaring and risks associated with the transition of the oil sector.