The ECOWAS Parliament opened in Accra, Ghana, on September 21, 2026, with a focus on climate change, security, and regional integration. The parliamentary seminar, taking place from September 21 to 23, is centered on the theme: “Climate Change as a Factor of Environmental Degradation, Population Displacement and Growing Insecurity in the ECOWAS Region.”
The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Memounatou Ibrahimatu, called for stronger regional action to address the interconnected challenges facing West Africa. She noted that climate change has evolved beyond an environmental concern to become a major development, humanitarian, migration, peace, and security issue for the region.
Climate disruption is affecting livelihoods, increasing pressure on natural resources, driving population displacement, and contributing to tensions within communities. The Speaker urged parliamentarians to ensure that international and regional climate commitments are translated into practical national legislation, funded policies, and measurable results.
The Speaker also emphasized the need for greater parliamentary oversight of public policies and budgets dedicated to climate resilience. She stressed that responses to climate change should take into account their humanitarian, economic, social, migratory, and security dimensions. Recent flooding along the West African coastline was cited as evidence of the multidimensional nature of the challenge.
The Accra session is the first ECOWAS Parliament gathering since the renewal of the Community’s leadership. The Speaker congratulated Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye on assuming the chairmanship of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, as well as General Birame Diop, the new President of the ECOWAS Commission.
The Second Extraordinary Session will focus on the consideration and adoption of the ECOWAS Parliament’s proposed 2027 budget and its annual programme of activities. The Speaker described the budget process as an exercise in prioritisation, action, and institutional credibility, particularly at a time of macroeconomic pressure and calls for budgetary discipline.
The ECOWAS Parliament should remain both a forum for dialogue and an institution capable of contributing practical recommendations to regional challenges. The Speaker urged delegates to approach the Accra deliberations with “clarity, candour, and pragmatism”, while emphasising trust and shared responsibility in the search for lasting solutions.
Key points
- The ECOWAS Parliament's focus on climate change, security, and regional integration highlights the pressing challenges facing West Africa.
- The parliamentary seminar aims to produce concrete recommendations linking climate adaptation with conflict prevention and the protection of vulnerable populations.
- The Speaker emphasized the need for greater parliamentary oversight of public policies and budgets dedicated to climate resilience.
