The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has announced ambitious plans to monitor 20,000 hectares of plantations as Nigeria positions itself to benefit from high-integrity voluntary carbon markets.
Carbon Roadmap Unveiled at COP 30
Executive Secretary of NALDA, Engr Cornelius Adebayo, revealed the authority's carbon strategy during a side event at the ongoing CoP 30 climate conference in Brazil. The comprehensive plan involves implementing a Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system across vast plantation areas.
The NALDA Carbon Roadmap represents Nigeria's strategic move to participate in credible carbon markets while simultaneously addressing climate change through land restoration efforts. Adebayo emphasized that the initiative includes rehabilitating aging stock, integrating pledged lands, and ensuring local communities receive tangible benefits from every restored hectare.
Transforming Agricultural Estates into Climate Assets
Among the flagship projects is the Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estate program, where NALDA is developing large-scale agricultural settlements ranging from 5,000 to 25,000 hectares. These estates have already commenced operations in Ekiti and Kwara states, with over 1,200 and 1,050 hectares currently under cultivation respectively.
The farm estates are fully mechanized and equipped with complete infrastructure including roads, irrigation systems, processing hubs, housing, and energy systems to function as comprehensive agricultural settlements.
As part of the sustainability framework, each estate will receive comprehensive perimeter fencing, along which NALDA will plant thousands of climate-resilient trees capable of generating significant carbon credits over time.
Economic Empowerment Through Carbon Credits
The carbon market initiative aims to provide additional income streams for farmers beyond traditional food production. Adebayo stated that this approach will allow farmers within these estates to earn extra revenue from carbon markets, potentially helping them transition from low-income status into the middle-income economy.
NALDA's plantations across diverse ecological zones are now considered among Nigeria's fastest-growing nature-based climate assets, capable of delivering high-integrity carbon removals while strengthening food systems and rural economies.
The authority has evolved from its original mandate of developing agricultural land and supporting rural livelihoods into a national driver of landscape restoration, afforestation and sustainable land management.
Supporting Vulnerable Populations
Alongside the mega estates, NALDA is advancing smaller restoration farms of between 500 and 2,000 hectares specifically targeted at internally displaced persons (IDPs), migrants and refugees.
These sites combine land rehabilitation, structured tree planting and climate-smart agricultural practices to provide vulnerable populations with access to land, income opportunities and long-term stability. The authority expects these projects to support more than 15,000 displaced persons, resulting in both economic and environmental benefits.
The executive secretary noted that many sites are located in ecologically sensitive zones where reforestation and species protection could strengthen biodiversity while expanding carbon sequestration capabilities.
This comprehensive approach positions land restoration and plantation development at the center of Nigeria's climate response strategy while creating new economic opportunities for rural communities.
