Carbon Footprint Inventory and Sectoral Emission Analysis of Government Ministries in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

Climate change remains a major environmental concern, while information on carbon emissions from public-sector institutions in developing regions remains limited. This study assessed the carbon footprint and emission contributions of selected government ministries and canteens in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, to establish a localized baseline for public-sector carbon management. A survey research design was adopted, and activity data were collected between October 2024 and October 2025 from electricity records, fuel records, canteen consumption records, and waste-related records. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions associated with electricity, diesel, petrol, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and waste were estimated using activity data and corresponding emission factors within the Greenhouse Gas Protocol framework. The total estimated carbon footprint of the assessed units was 152,081.130 kg CO₂/year, equivalent to approximately 152.08 tonnes CO₂/year. The Ministry of Justice recorded the highest contribution (13.53%), followed by the Ministries of Finance (11.75%), Housing (9.02%), and Works (8.16%). Electricity was the largest individual emission source, accounting for 45.7% of the total carbon footprint, followed by diesel (40.0%), petrol (11.8%), LPG (1.8%), and waste (0.7%). Pearson correlation analysis further examined relationships among the recorded resource-consumption variables. The findings provide localized baseline evidence of ministry-level carbon emissions and identify electricity and diesel consumption as the principal emission sources requiring attention. The study recommends improved energy efficiency, reduced dependence on diesel-powered generators, renewable energy adoption, sustainable transportation practices, and regular institutional carbon-footprint monitoring to support emission reduction and sustainability within the public sector of Akwa Ibom State.