Anglophone African Regional Group Workshop on the topic of “BTRs in practice: Exchange of experiences, lessons learned, and common challenges” [Lagos, Nigeria]
From July 22-25, the Anglophone African Regional Group met in Lagos, Nigeria. The regional workshop aimed to facilitate discussions among countries on the experiences with the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) reporting requirements, the process undergone in developing the first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) and the preparation for the Technical Expert Review (TER) by looking at common challenges and lessons learned. The event built on previous regional workshops to ensure continuity and expand upon previously discussed topics.
22. Juli – Day 1: Setting the Scene
On July 22, the Anglophone African Regional Workshop on BTRs kicked off, bringing together over 40 participants from across the continent to exchange experiences on preparing their first BTRs under the Paris Agreement’s ETF. Opening remarks from the Nigerian side were delivered by Adesola Olatunde Effiwatt on behalf of Dr. Nkiruka Maduekwe, Director General of the National Council on Climate Change Secretariat (NCCCS) and Michael Bankole, Environmental Manager at Lagos Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in order to set the scene for the four-day event. This was followed by welcoming remarks from Jochen Schindelarz, German Consulate in Lagos, and from Tibor Lindovsky, United Nations Climate Change Secretariat as well as Sandra Motshwanedi, PATPA Founding Member and CGE Chair.
Institutional Arrangements
Throughout the morning, participants explored institutional arrangements and discussed why institutional arrangements are at the core of robust MRV systems. The lessons learned presented by Ghana and South Africa showcased how national systems have evolved from basic inventory setups to integrated frameworks tracking NDCs and mobilizing support. Key messages included:
- No one-size-fits-all—arrangements must fit national contexts.
- Legal backing, clear roles, and sector coordination are essential.
- Start simple, build progressively & ensure continuity through capacity-building over time.
Peer Exchange: Common Challenges, Shared Solutions
The afternoon featured rich one-on-one exchanges during a session where each country shared their experiences and challenges in submitting their first BTRs, which were portrayed on a country posters. Countries gave an overview of where they currently stand and highlighted common challenges. Apart from unclear mandates and frequent staff turnover, data-related aspects, such as limited access to quality data, lack of structured, time-series data systems, were highlighted as the main barrier. Practical recommendations emerged, e.g.,
- Strengthen sectoral coordination: Assign clear responsibilities in each sector to streamline data flow and reporting.
- Embeded teams: Integrate BTR teams within NDC implementation teams to ensure alignment.
- Build and transfer capacity: Focus on developing local expertise in universities, research institutions, government, and CSOs to avoid overreliance on international support.
- Formalize systems: Establish legal and institutional frameworks to sustain institutional arrangements.
- Ensure knowledge retention: Put mechanisms in place to reduce institutional memory loss when staff leave.
Spotlight on Nigeria
Nigeria shared its experience with preparing its first BTR, coordinated by NCCC with support from GEF and UNDP. Despite some challenges, Nigeria reported progress on GHG trends, NDC tracking, adaptation, and finance. Nigeria’s experience highlighted the need to for inter-agency coordination, data-sharing mechanisms as well as capacity building for stakeholders on the ETF. Looking ahead to BTR2, Nigeria plans to operationalize a national GHG inventory system, establish formal data-sharing agreements among institutions, and develop a dedicated tool for tracking climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity-building support.
Day 1 underscored that while transparency challenges are shared, solutions are emerging from within the group. Countries are committed to continuous learning and strengthening their systems for future BTRs.
23 July – Day 2: Peer Learning on NDC Tracking and GHG Inventories
The second day of the Anglophone African Regional Workshop focused on two essential elements of BTRs: tracking progress toward NDCs and strengthening the quality of GHG inventories. Through technical exchanges, hands-on exercises, and country presentations, participants explored how to strengthen their systems for credible, transparent reporting under the Paris Agreement.
GHG Inventories: Data Systems and Key Category Analysis
The morning opened with practical aspects of GHG inventory systems, focusing on basics such as calculating emission factors and understanding the TACCC principles. TACCC stands for Transparency, Accuracy, Consistency, Comparability, and Completeness and are six principles ensuring a high GHG Inventory quality. Furthermore, participants discussed how to identify key categories by reviewing the most recent inventory year across sectors like AFOLU and Energy. Lastly, a short input on data collection defined the general principles and steps that could be taken. Country examples from Zambia and Lesotho highlighted how structured approaches can ensure consistent data collection and validation.
Data Management and QA/QC: Building Trust Through Systems
Robust data management and quality control systems were emphasized as the backbone of credible reporting. Legal mandates and clear institutional roles were identified as critical. Countries shared experiences in developing centralized MRV platforms and using standardized templates to streamline submissions. Best practices also included cloud-based systems with access controls, metadata documentation for traceability, and regular backups. Participants explored both internal checks (QC) and external reviews (QA), with recommendations to document all procedures, assumptions, and calculation sheets to ensure reproducibility and institutional memory.
NDC Tracking: The Importance of SMART Targets
Afterward, the workshop continued with a focus on how countries can track progress toward their NDCs using well-designed indicators. Participants explored the concept of SMART targets—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—and discussed how setting strong targets is essential for tracking progress. Rather than introducing indicators only after targets are adopted, countries were encouraged to define indicators early in the target-setting process. Using examples like absolute emissions reduction targets, discussions covered the importance of clearly specifying base years, gases, and methodologies. A causal chain and logframe approach helped visualize how actions contribute to outcomes and impacts. The NDC Progress Indicators: a guidance for practitioners knowledge product including a step-by-step approach to SMART indicators.
Mitigation Assessment: Planning and Evaluating Action
Participants then turned to mitigation assessment—how countries can evaluate the effects of their climate policies and measures. The session covered both ex-ante assessments, which estimate the impact of future actions, and ex-post assessments, which evaluate historical reductions. A seven-step approach guided participants through the process: from defining the scope and collecting data, to developing baseline and mitigation scenarios. Countries learned how to screen and prioritize mitigation options using criteria such as cost-effectiveness and institutional feasibility. Simple tools, such as screening matrices and marginal abatement cost curves, were introduced as useful decision-making aids.
Peer Exchange and Regional Learning
The afternoon shifted again to country-specific experiences, with a second round of the Peer Exchange on Sharing BTR1 Experiences. In this marketplace-style session, countries wrote down concrete and actionable challenges based on their national contexts—ranging from data limitations to coordination barriers—and exchanged insights with peers facing similar issues.
This highly interactive format allowed participants to walk through practical examples, ask questions, and gather ideas from other countries, that have overcome similar problems. It underscored the value of open dialogue and peer learning in overcoming persistent barriers and highlighted how tailored solutions can emerge from regional cooperation.
24 July – Day 3: Navigating Reviews, Flexibility, and Deeper Transparency Work
The third day focused on preparing for the Technical Expert Review (TER), followed by in-depth sessions on the application of flexibility and an open exchange on transparency issues through thematic working tables – giving countries a chance to simulate key elements of the review process and deepen their understanding of NDC tracking, reporting frameworks, and understanding how flexibility provisions can be applied.
Understanding the TER Process
The morning session introduced the formal TER process. Participants learned what elements of the BTR are reviewed for developing countries—GHG emissions and removals and progress toward NDCs—and how these reviews are conducted, whether in-country, centralized, or as remote desk reviews. The session walked through the roles of countries, expert reviewers, and the UNFCCC Secretariat, and introduced key tools like the BTR-VTR platform and review templates. This was concluded by South Africa sharing its experience of undergoing the TER process, in May 2025.
TER Mock Exercise: Bringing the Process to Life
Participants then took part in a practical TER simulation of a fictional country. Working in groups, they were asked to prepare for a review, through a mock scenario and responding to reviewer questions about indicator definitions, data sources, and flexibility constraints. The exercise provided a practical experience and highlighted revealed real-world challenges like limited data availability. The simulation also underlined the importance of preparing supporting information and explaining methodologies to review teams—an essential skill for any upcoming BTR submission.
Flexibility: What It Is and How to Use It
Following the TER session, participants discussed flexibility provisions—an important tool for developing countries with capacity constraints. Flexibility allows for reduced scope, frequency, or level of detail in reporting and review. Participants learned that flexibility is self-determined but must be clearly stated, justified, and linked to a plan for future improvement. A short exercise helped countries reflect on where and how they might apply flexibility in their own reporting, and what information they would need to communicate when doing so.
Thematic Tables: Deepening Understanding Through Peer Exchange
The afternoon concluded with two round of thematic discussions in an open space format. Participants joined breakout tables on key areas of the transparency framework, including NDC tracking, adaptation, finance, technology, and capacity-building (FTC) support and the TER process. The open space was very fruitful, as it allowed countries to ask any specific open questions and discuss with others.
Day 3 provided a unique opportunity for participants to experience the review process, clarify the use of flexibility, and dive deeper into persistent challenges in tracking, reporting, and coordination. With a clearer sense of what reviewers look for—and how flexibility can be used meaningfully—countries are better prepared for the full transparency cycle ahead.
25 July – Day 4: Defining Next Steps and Moving Forward
The final day of the Anglophone African Regional Workshop in Lagos began with a short recap of the previous sessions and finalizing practical exercises on Mitigation Assessment, before shifting into a final peer exchange and reflection on what’s next for the participants as they return to their countries.
Peer Exchange: From Challenges to Action Plans
Participants gathered around their country posters to reflect on lessons learned and outline next steps. The central question was: What are your next steps, and have you found solutions to the challenges identified earlier in the week? Countries wrote down concrete follow-up actions, and revisited discussions held during earlier peer exchanges. The session showcased how participants moved from identifying problems to actively developing solutions—whether technical, institutional, or procedural.
Many noted they had gained a better understanding of the types of flexibility provisions available under the ETF, and how to apply them based on national capacities. Others highlighted the importance of having a clear regulatory framework, improved strategies for tracking NDCs, and new methods for identifying key categories in their GHG inventories. Several countries shared how they intend to improve data collection processes with these learnings, involve subnational stakeholders more, and strengthen coordination mechanisms. Learning about the step-by-step process for NDC tracking and the criteria for selecting appropriate indicators was also seen as a major takeaway.
Next Steps: From Learning to Implementation
Looking ahead, participants shared a range of concrete action points. Many plan to sensitize colleagues and share learned knowledge. Others will focus on capacity-building initiatives—both within their teams and across sectors. Strengthening institutional arrangements for BTR preparation emerged as a common priority. Several participants intend to adapt lessons learned from other countries’ MRV systems, while others will open discussions on flexibility options within their national teams as they prepare to develop their second BTR. There was a shared interest in continuing peer-to-peer learning beyond the workshop itself.
The workshop concluded with reflections from facilitators and participants on the progress made over the past four days. In the afternoon, attendees visited the Lekki Conservation Centre, which showcased successful conservation within the megacity of Lagos.