By Abiodun Folarin
WorldStage— Climate change is increasingly threatening livelihoods, infrastructure, food security and regional stability across West Africa, experts have warned, calling for stronger regional coordination to tackle rising environmental and security pressures.
The warning was issued as the Second Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament and its Second Seminar opened in Accra, Ghana, with experts linking rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, drought, flooding, land degradation and rising sea levels to growing risks of population displacement, livelihood losses and insecurity across the region.
The seminar, themed “Climate Change as a Driver of Environmental Degradation, Population Displacement and Rising Insecurity in the ECOWAS Region,” is bringing together parliamentarians and technical experts to examine the implications of climate related pressures for the region.
Presenting an assessment of climate risks and vulnerabilities in West Africa, the Senior Programme Officer, Climate Change and Ozone Directorate of Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority, Dr Derek Sarfo-Yiadom, said climate hazards had moved beyond projections to become realities affecting communities.
“Climate hazards are with us,” Sarfo-Yiadom said, citing extreme heat, drought, heavy and unpredictable rainfall and rising sea levels among the growing threats confronting the region.
He said a climate hazard becomes a disaster when exposed communities lack sufficient capacity to cope, warning that vulnerable populations could face increasing pressure as climate conditions become more unpredictable.
According to his presentation, seasonal temperatures across the region have risen by between one and three degrees Celsius since 1970, contributing to more intense heatwaves and changing weather patterns.
The changing rainfall regime, he said, was also increasing flood risks, while prolonged drought and extreme heat were placing additional pressure on agriculture, food production and rural livelihoods.
Sarfo-Yiadom identified farmers, low-income communities, coastal settlements and displaced populations among groups particularly exposed to climate related risks.
He also highlighted potential damage to homes, irrigation systems, electricity infrastructure, transport networks, ports, markets and other public services, stressing that the consequences of climate change extend beyond the environmental sector.
The Ghanaian expert warned that worsening climate pressures could deepen displacement and tensions, particularly in communities where livelihoods depend heavily on agriculture, land and other natural resources.
He called for increased investment in climate adaptation, flood proof land use planning and expanded climate risk mapping to enable governments to anticipate and manage emerging threats.
Sarfo-Yiadom also urged authorities to ensure that early-warning systems reach vulnerable communities and called for greater accountability in the management of climate related public expenditure.
At the regional level, the Principal Officer, Climate Change and Climate Services at the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Raoul Kouame, said the bloc needed to move beyond climate commitments towards coordinated implementation.
“The challenge is no longer just to define climate commitments,” Kouame said, identifying institutional fragmentation, disparities in national capacity and difficulties accessing climate finance as major obstacles to effective climate action.
He called for greater harmonisation of climate policies and standards across ECOWAS member states, alongside stronger coordination between regional and national institutions.
According to him, regional cooperation should extend to climate services, early warning systems, forest and ecosystem protection, carbon markets and access to climate finance.
Kouame also advocated mechanisms that would enable member states to develop national climate frameworks that are better connected to regional structures and commitments under the Paris Agreement.
He stressed the need for ECOWAS to strengthen the region’s capacity to access available climate funds and develop innovative financing mechanisms capable of supporting climate adaptation and implementation.
Also speaking, a climate, water and meteorology expert with the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), Dr Abdou Ali, said the cross border nature of climate risks made regional cooperation indispensable.
Ali, whose presentation focused on drought, land degradation and food insecurity, called for increased sharing of climate data, technical expertise and climate services among ECOWAS member states.
He identified agriculture, coastal communities, biodiversity, disaster risk management and human displacement as areas requiring coordinated regional adaptation measures.
The expert further urged governments to integrate climate considerations into policies covering agriculture, forestry, energy, transportation, industrialisation and waste management.
He said regional climate strategies would have limited impact without adequate financing, stronger institutions and effective mechanisms for implementation.
The presentations broadly converged on the need for ECOWAS to strengthen regional climate adaptation measures while ensuring that interventions reflect the needs and livelihoods of communities most exposed to environmental risks.
Opening the session, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Memounatou Ibrahima, welcomed parliamentarians and participants to Accra and underscored the importance of the gathering in addressing issues confronting the region.
She also recalled Ghana’s Founder’s Day and the legacy of the country’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, whose vision of a free and united Africa remained relevant to regional cooperation, with participants observing a minute of silence in his honour.
Parliamentarians are now deliberating on the expert presentations, with discussions expected to further examine how regional institutions and member states can translate climate commitments into coordinated action against environmental degradation, displacement and insecurity.
