In 2025, the Cross River State region in Nigeria, joined Regions4 with the commitment to become a leading “living laboratory” for sustainability in a forest-rich region. Custodian of 50% of Nigeria’s remaining tropical rainforests and home to the critically endangered Cross River Gorilla, the state is pioneering subnational climate governance through its Council on Climate Change, Green Economy Commission, and a 5 billion USD Green Economy Initiative that links nature protection with clean energy, green industry, and social inclusion. In this edition of In Their Own Words, the government of Cross River State reflects on how flagship initiatives such as mangrove restoration and biochar production, e‑mobility and green manufacturing, and women‑led smokeless stove programmes are turning systemic challenges into concrete, scalable solutions for communities and nature.

1. What is unique about the Cross River Region?

Cross River State is Nigeria’s foremost ecological sanctuary and a pioneering model of subnational green governance. The state is the custodian of over 50% of Nigeria’s remaining tropical rainforests, including the critically important Cross River National Park, a biodiversity hotspot home to endangered species like the Cross River Gorilla. This immense natural capital is complemented by expansive mangrove ecosystems along its coast, vital for carbon sequestration and coastal protection.

The state’s commitment is institutionalized through groundbreaking policies and bodies, most notably the establishment of Nigeria’s first subnational Council on Climate Change and a dedicated Green Economy Commission. This framework guides ambitious action, such as the $5 Billion Green Economy Initiative, a cross-sectoral masterplan for sustainable development.

Flagship projects demonstrate this commitment at scale. These include the large-scale Mangrove Restoration and Biochar Production initiative, which restores coastal ecosystems while creating a circular-economy product, and the integrated E-Mobility Strategy featuring electric-vehicle procurement and a local assembly plant.

Our unique natural endowment, rich biodiversity and diverse wildlife set us apart. From our world-famous Calabar Carnival to our commitment to a green economy, Cross River State is a living model of how tradition and sustainability can thrive together.

2. Can you share concrete examples of projects or initiatives in Cross River State that are making a real difference to communities and nature? What problems were they addressing?

We operate on a dual track: implementing immediate community-level solutions while building the foundation for large-scale, systemic change. A flagship community initiative is our distribution of Wonder Cooking Pots and Smokeless Stoves to women. This directly tackles the severe health risks of indoor air pollution and high fuel costs, empowering women with cleaner, more efficient tools and providing a tangible link between household wellbeing and climate action.

Concurrently, we are executing a transformational Mangrove Restoration and Biochar Production project. On 1,500 hectares of degraded coastline, we are combating erosion, restoring a vital carbon sink, and creating a circular economy by converting invasive plant material into organic fertilizer (biochar). This nature-based solution directly addresses biodiversity loss, sequesters carbon, and creates green jobs, demonstrating our integrated approach to environmental and economic challenges.

3. What are the most pressing sustainable development challenges facing the Cross River Region today, and how are these shaping your government’s priorities and decisions?

Our core challenges are systemic and interconnected: protecting our vast natural capital from deforestation and degradation, building climate resilience for vulnerable communities, and creating sustainable economic alternatives. These are not separate issues but different facets of the same challenge. This recognition has fundamentally reshaped our governance, leading to the creation of a Green Economy Commission and guiding all decisions through our ambitious $5 Billion Green Economy Initiative. This cross-sectoral masterplan ensures that our development in energy, transport, and industry actively contributes to localizing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and our NetZero ambition, turning systemic challenges into a blueprint for a resilient future.

4. How are local communities, Indigenous peoples, civil society, and the private sector involved in designing, implementing, and monitoring sustainable development policies in your region?

Involvement is operational and structured. For the smokeless stove program, women’s feedback directly dictated the technology selection and rollout strategy. For larger industrial projects, we employ a deliberate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. For instance, in developing our Electric Vehicle Assembly Plant and Solar Manufacturing Hub, the government’s role is to enable – providing land, policy frameworks, and de-risking investment – while private partners bring capital, technology, and market expertise. This model, coordinated through our Council on Climate Change and Green Economy Commission, ensures projects are co-created, commercially viable, and deliver shared value, making communities and firms genuine stakeholders in our sustainable transition. These projects are also structured to employ members of host communities rather than external labour, creating ownership, trust, and local economic benefits.

5. Can you walk us through a project from idea to implementation?

The Smokeless Stove initiative is a standout case of community-led design. The idea was born from dialogues with women’s groups who highlighted the dangers of smoke and the cost of fuel. Their needs for a stove that was efficient, safe, durable, and suited to local cooking practices became our non-negotiable design criteria. We then partnered with the national agency NASENI to source the appropriate technology. Implementation was community-managed, with beneficiaries leading demonstrations. This end-to-end co-creation ensured high adoption and created local champions. The success of this pilot has now become a replicable blueprint for our wider clean energy programs, proving that the most effective and sustainable solutions are born from genuine partnership.

The Smokeless Stove initiative is a standout case of community-led design. The idea was born from dialogues with women’s groups who highlighted the dangers of smoke and the cost of fuel.

6. By joining Regions4, what outcomes are you hoping to achieve?

We view Regions4 as a critical accelerator for three practical outcomes. First, to gain access to proven tools and methodologies for localizing global climate and biodiversity frameworks and to understand innovative subnational climate finance mechanisms.

Second, to engage in peer learning with regions that have pioneered renewable energy transitions or circular economy models.

Third, and crucially, to collaborate in advocacy for streamlined access to global climate finance for subnational governments. This network will help us transform our ambitious plans into bankable, funded projects that deliver real-world impact for our environment and communities.

7. Are there specific areas within Regions4 where you see immediate opportunities for collaboration?

We see immediate synergy with the Climate Change Adaptation and Biodiversity working groups, where our mangrove restoration and forest management work is directly relevant. We are particularly keen to engage with programs like Pathways2Resilience (P2R) to strengthen our regional adaptation strategy. Furthermore, we can actively contribute to discussions on green industrialization and the just transition by sharing our hands-on experience in developing green manufacturing zones and building clean energy ecosystems through strategic partnerships.

8. What knowledge or experience do you hope to share with other Regions4 members?

We bring to the table practical, on-the-ground experience as a living laboratory for sustainability in a forest-rich region. We can share our governance model, particularly the establishment and operation of subnational climate institutions, as a blueprint for others. We offer a proven case study in community-centric design for clean energy access. Furthermore, we can contribute practical insights into building public-private partnerships for green manufacturing and developing integrated, nature-based economies that link conservation directly with community livelihoods and carbon finance.

9. What support, knowledge, or partnerships are you seeking through Regions4?

We are actively seeking technical partnerships to accelerate specific flagship projects, such as our Solar PV and Lithium Battery Manufacturing Hub. We would greatly benefit from knowledge exchange on mobilizing blended finance and creating viable business models for large-scale landscape restoration. Learning from regions that have successfully issued subnational green bonds or built climate-resilient agricultural supply chains would provide invaluable benchmarks for effectively and sustainably scaling our own initiatives.

10. How do you intend to leverage your membership of Regions4 to increase your region’s visibility and influence on the global stage? 

We will leverage our membership to consistently position Cross River State as a proactive solution provider and an authoritative voice from the West African region in global dialogues. We will actively contribute to position papers, share our concrete case studies through the network’s platforms, and seek to host thematic events and study visits.

Our goal is to demonstrate that subnational ambition, when backed by solid governance and innovative partnership models, is indispensable for achieving global climate and biodiversity targets. This active engagement will elevate our profile as a region that turns commitment into concrete, replicable action.

Cross River State Region website