Climate change is exerting significant pressure on livelihoods, infrastructure, and regional stability across West Africa, experts warned at the Second Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament and Second Seminar in Accra, Ghana. The seminar, themed "Climate change as a driver of environmental degradation, population displacement and Rising Insecurity in the ECOWAS Region," brought together delegates to discuss the pressing issues. Experts highlighted rising temperatures, extreme weather, drought, unpredictable rainfall, flooding, rising sea levels, and land degradation as major concerns.
The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Memounatou Ibrahima, emphasized the significance of the gathering, noting it provided an opportunity for delegates to address the issues before the Parliament. In a presentation, Dr. Derek Sarfo-Yiadom, Senior Programme Officer at Ghana's Environmental Protection Authority, stated that climate hazards were no longer distant threats but realities affecting communities across the region. He identified extreme heat, drought, heavy and unpredictable rainfall, rising sea levels, and other weather-related events as growing concerns.
Dr. Sarfo-Yiadom's presentation highlighted that seasonal temperatures have risen by between one and three degrees Celsius since 1970, contributing to hotter heatwaves and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. Changing rainfall patterns were also increasing flood risks, while drought and heat were putting pressure on farming and livelihoods. He identified farmers, low-income communities, coastal settlements, and displaced populations as particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
The presentation also emphasized the risks to homes, irrigation, electricity, transport networks, ports, markets, and public services. Dr. Sarfo-Yiadom warned that climate change was not only an environmental issue but also had social and economic consequences. He called for increased investment in adaptation, flood-proof zoning, and the expansion of climate-risk mapping. He also urged governments to ensure that early-warning systems reach vulnerable communities and that public authorities are held accountable for climate-related spending.
In another presentation, Mr. Raoul Kouame, Principal Officer at the ECOWAS Commission, focused on the ECOWAS regulatory and institutional framework and the need to translate climate commitments into regional action. He stated that ECOWAS needed to harmonize regional climate policies and standards while supporting member states to implement their commitments under the Paris Agreement. Mr. Kouame identified institutional fragmentation, differences in national capacities, and difficulties accessing climate finance as some of the challenges affecting climate action across the region.
Mr. Kouame called for stronger coordination between regional and national institutions and greater sharing of experience among member states. He also advocated for mechanisms that would help countries develop national frameworks connected to regional climate structures. Dr. Abdou Ali, a climate, water, and meteorology expert with the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), stressed the importance of regional cooperation in addressing climate risks that cross national borders.
Dr. Ali highlighted the need for member states to share climate information, data, technical expertise, and climate services. The experts' presentations and calls for action underscore the urgent need for stronger regional cooperation and climate action in West Africa to mitigate the impacts of climate change on livelihoods, infrastructure, and regional stability. West African countries must work together to address these pressing issues and ensure a sustainable future for the region.
Key points
- Experts warn that climate change poses significant threats to livelihoods, infrastructure, and regional stability in West Africa.
- Climate hazards, such as extreme heat, drought, and unpredictable rainfall, are no longer distant threats but realities affecting communities across the region.
- Experts call for stronger regional cooperation, increased investment in adaptation, and the expansion of climate-risk mapping to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
