Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Executive Governor of Lagos State, said, the State processes “5,000 tonnes” of waste everyday, and turns all that waste into “cleaner energy”.
The Governor made the statement when he mounted the stage alongside Gavin Newsom, Governor of California State, at the United Nations (UN) High-level meeting on Climate Action; the meeting was convened by Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN in New York, US.
The meeting is happening on Wednesday 23 September, 2026, “just days” following the formalization of a partnership between Lagos State and California State, Sanwo-Olu made known on X.
Governor Sanwo-Olu announced: “Yesterday at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, I took the stage alongside Governor Gavin Newsom of California at the United Nations High-level Meeting on Climate Action and the Just Transition, convened by the Office of the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina J. Mohammed.”
He said: “Coming just days after our Sister State partnership was formalised between Lagos and California, standing together at the UN showed what is possible when Africa’s largest urban economy and America’s largest state economy work together for real progress.”
Responding to a question on how he protects over “22 million” people in Lagos from “rising sea levels”, Sanwo-Olu answered, “climate action and economic development” move “hand in hand”.
He said, the Southwestern State is migrating to “cleaner transport” with over “5.2 million” vehicles on its roads. He added, government needs support to turn “climate plans into real projects” for the benefits of the people.
Sanwo-Olu said: “When asked how we are protecting more than 22 million Lagosians from flooding, rising sea levels and extreme heat, my response was that for us in Lagos, climate action and economic development go hand in hand.
“States and regions have the power to deliver up to 80% of global climate action. In Lagos, we are turning that responsibility into real opportunity. With more than 5.2 million vehicles on our roads, we are moving towards cleaner transport.
“We also process more than 5,000 tonnes of waste every day and we are turning that waste into recycling industries, clean energy and jobs.
“But governments cannot do this alone. States and regions need access to affordable, long-term financing to turn climate plans into real projects that improve people’s lives.”
The Governor made known the “readiness” of Lagos to “deliver” and to play its part, however, called on the world financial community for “investment” to succeed.
Sanwo-Olu said: “Lagos is ready to deliver. We are ready to do our part. Now, we need the global financial community to meet us with the investment needed to match our scale.”
