By Michael Oche
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), has unveiled a 12-unit Climate Change, Green Jobs and Just Transition Training Manual to strengthen workers’ capacity to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the green economy.
Prof. Magnus Onuoha, a development economist and climate change and green economy expert, presented the manual at the 2026 Tripartite Pre-COP31 Meeting in Abuja.
Onuoha said the manual was designed to equip workers, particularly those at the shop-floor level, with the knowledge and skills needed to understand climate change, clean energy and emerging global realities.
“The global shift from climate negotiations to implementation requires workers, young people and climate champions to understand the emerging realities of climate change.
“Capacity building is important because it strengthens people’s knowledge, drive, resources and ability to act effectively on climate-related issues.
“We must ensure that workers understand the issues and language of climate change to achieve meaningful participation and positive outcomes,” he said.
He said the manual followed discussions on the need to develop practical training materials that would deepen workers’ understanding of climate issues and strengthen their participation in climate change initiatives.
Onuoha said the programme would adopt a proactive approach to ensure workers understood the implications of transitioning from carbon-intensive industries to cleaner and more sustainable economic alternatives.
He proposed developing a project index and an implementation index to monitor progress across the manual’s 12 units and assess their practical impact beyond the production of training documents.
According to him, the proposed indices would provide measurable indicators for evaluating implementation and identifying progress, challenges and areas requiring further attention.
He recalled that organisations, including ATPS Kenya and PACJA, had developed an African index for tracking Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), covering governance, adaptation, mitigation, climate-related issues and knowledge.
He said the initiative, supported by the African Development Bank, involved 12 African countries, including Nigeria, and provided useful experience for developing an implementation monitoring framework.
Onuoha said the manual’s objectives included developing worker-friendly materials using illustrations, practical case studies and storytelling to make complex climate change issues easier for participants to understand.
He added that it would strengthen workers’ ability to communicate and engage effectively on climate issues within their workplaces and the wider society.
“Other objectives include providing advocacy materials for engaging governments and stakeholders, complementing NLC educational programmes and promoting workers’ participation in accountable climate action,” he said.
He said the manual’s 12 units covered just transition, green jobs, renewable energy, grid infrastructure, green construction, circular economy, sustainable transport, agriculture and ecosystem services.
Other areas included reskilling workers in carbon-intensive industries, collective bargaining for green deals, measurement, reporting and verification, climate politics, decent work and green industrialisation.
“The first unit will explain just transition, its global frameworks, guidelines and standards, while examining opportunities arising from digitalisation, emerging technologies and green economic activities.
“Participants will also examine barriers to just transition in Nigeria, including the responsibilities of government agencies, departments, institutions and other relevant stakeholders,” Onuoha said.
On the training methodology, Onuoha said the programme would adopt participatory learning through group discussions, presentations, case studies, charts and whiteboard exercises rather than conventional lectures.
He added that the groups would reflect gender balance and include persons with disabilities to ensure that different categories of workers participated meaningfully in the learning process.
“The approach, described as knowledge appropriation, will encourage participants to exchange ideas, understand workplace concerns and apply acquired knowledge within their communities,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Bert De-Wel, Climate Policy Officer at the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, called for stronger workers’ representation in global climate negotiations.
De-Wel said the ITUC was working towards more diverse trade union representation at climate negotiations, with increased participation from Africa, Latin America and Pacific Island countries.
He said the weakening of multilateralism, international cooperation and consensus-building posed challenges to global efforts to address climate change and achieve meaningful negotiation outcomes.
De-Wel noted that Africa had suffered climate-related disasters, including droughts, storms and floods, adding that their impacts were increasingly becoming global concerns.
He stressed the need for countries to reduce fossil fuel consumption, strengthen adaptation measures and address loss and damage to protect vulnerable populations.
On COP31 negotiations, De-Wel recalled that the previous conference in Brazil recorded progress with the establishment of a Just Transition Mechanism.
He described the mechanism as an important achievement for the trade union movement, providing opportunities to advance workers’ interests within the global climate transition process.
“Mitigation remains a difficult issue in the negotiations. We need countries to take decisions that will significantly scale up efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
“Adaptation is another critical issue, particularly because it is closely connected to climate finance.
“Developing countries need the resources to invest in adaptation and protect their populations against the effects of climate change,” he said.
De-Wel urged developed countries to fulfil their responsibilities by providing adequate climate finance to support vulnerable nations, particularly across Africa and other developing regions.
He said the first days of COP31 negotiations would be crucial in determining countries’ willingness to address climate finance and other outstanding climate commitments.
The ITUC official said trade unions must now prioritise the implementation of negotiated climate policies, including exploring ways to redirect resources from fossil fuel subsidies towards just transition financing.
He also identified electrification as an emerging priority, noting that it could reduce dependence on fossil fuels and improve economic efficiency.
De-Wel urged trade unions to actively monitor climate negotiations and organise engagements to showcase practical solutions and workers’ contributions to climate action.
“Our position is clear: workers and their representatives must be consulted on climate policies and decisions concerning the impact of fossil fuels and the transition process.
“We must ensure that workers’ interests are properly represented in the discussions and outcomes,” he said.
