The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called for immediate and coordinated measures to address the worsening effects of climate change across the sub-region.
The appeal was made by the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, during the Parliament’s 2026 Second Extraordinary Session Seminar held in Accra, Ghana.
The seminar focused on the interconnected challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, population displacement and growing insecurity in the ECOWAS region.
Ibrahima warned that environmental changes were increasingly affecting communities and livelihoods while also contributing to population movements and security concerns across West Africa.
Experts participating in the session noted that rising temperatures, drought, unpredictable rainfall, flooding, rising sea levels and land degradation were placing additional pressure on communities and infrastructure.
According to climate experts, vulnerable groups, including farmers, low-income communities, coastal populations and displaced persons, face particular risks as environmental conditions deteriorate.
The effects of climate change are also being felt across critical sectors, including agriculture, transportation, electricity, water systems, markets and other public infrastructure.
Participants further highlighted the relationship between climate-related disruptions, declining livelihoods and competition over resources such as land and water. Such pressures, they said, could contribute to displacement and increase the risk of social tensions and insecurity.
Senior climate officials therefore called for stronger investment in adaptation measures, climate-risk mapping and early-warning systems capable of reaching communities exposed to extreme weather events.
The ECOWAS Commission also stressed the need to move beyond policy commitments towards effective implementation. Regional authorities were urged to harmonise climate policies and standards while strengthening cooperation among member states.
Experts identified limited access to climate financing, differences in national capacities and institutional fragmentation as some of the obstacles affecting the implementation of climate programmes across the region.
They recommended greater regional cooperation in areas including climate information and services, early-warning mechanisms, ecosystem protection and access to climate finance.
The Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) also emphasised the importance of sharing climate data, technical expertise and early-warning information among West African countries.
Participants maintained that climate action should be incorporated into wider development policies covering agriculture, forestry, energy, transportation, industrial development and waste management.
The discussions underscored the need for ECOWAS member states to strengthen their collective response to climate change, particularly as environmental pressures increasingly affect food security, livelihoods, migration and regional stability.
ECOWAS already has a regional climate strategy designed to strengthen coordinated climate action and reduce the vulnerability of West African countries to climate-related risks.
