Lagos State has been named the most climate-resilient city in West Africa, emerging as the highest-ranked sub-national government in climate governance across the ECOWAS region.
The recognition followed the conclusion of the West Africa Climate Governance Index (WACGI) Assessment, a comprehensive evidence-based study that evaluated 209 sub-national governments across the 15 ECOWAS member states.
According to WACGI, the assessment measured climate-risk exposure, governance visibility, climate finance, transparency, public participation, and implementation capacity.
Based on these indicators, Lagos scored 86.3 out of 100, earning a Grade “A” and finishing ahead of Kano, Abuja, Greater Accra, Praia, Dakar, Porto Novo, Abidjan Autonomous District, São Filipe, and Bombali.
The climate research body said the ranking aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 on Climate Action and SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals, as well as the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which promotes a prosperous and climate-resilient Africa.
Following the ranking, WACGI named Lagos the Best Performing Sub-national Government in West Africa for 2026 and conferred its prestigious “Grand Laureate of Climate Governance” award on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for leading what it described as the region’s most resilient climate governance framework.
In an official letter dated July 8, 2026, Prof. Julie Peghini, Director of Fondation Lucien Paye, congratulated Governor Sanwo-Olu for championing policies and initiatives aimed at mitigating climate-related risks and strengthening climate adaptation in Lagos.
She stated that the award recognises the governor and the Lagos State Government for outstanding performance in climate governance, adding that the full assessment report and supporting datasets have been published on the official French Government data repository.
The West Africa Climate Governance Index (WACGI) is a France-based climate policy initiative established by the Africa Foundation (Lucien Paye) at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris to promote improved climate governance across ECOWAS countries through assessment indicators aligned with the Paris Agreement.
Prof. Peghini noted that transparent, evidence-based assessments serve as an important tool for institutional improvement, encouraging high-performing governments while providing constructive recommendations for others seeking to strengthen their climate governance systems.
The report also acknowledged Nigeria’s broad climate governance framework, citing the Climate Change Act 2021, the National Council on Climate Change, NDC 3.0, the Energy Transition Plan, the country’s long-term net-zero strategy, and expanding climate finance initiatives.
However, WACGI observed that Nigeria continues to face significant climate threats, 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.
