The Economic Community of West African States has raised concerns over the growing impact of climate change, environmental degradation and insecurity across the region, warning that the combined pressures are increasing displacement and putting regional stability at greater risk.
The warning was issued during the Second 2026 Parliamentary Seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament in Accra, Ghana, where lawmakers are examining the connection between climate change, population displacement and rising insecurity.
Representing the President of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame Diop, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Professor Nassirou Bako Arifari, said more than two million people were displaced across West Africa in 2024 following natural disasters associated with climate change.
He said flooding alone affected more than seven million people during the same period, destroying homes, roads, schools, health facilities, farms and other essential infrastructure.
The ECOWAS presentation also revealed that the combined effects of climate change, insecurity and other vulnerabilities contributed to more than 12 million internally displaced people across West and Central Africa between 2025 and 2026. Women and children were said to account for about 80 per cent of those affected.
Bako Arifari described climate change as more than an environmental concern, stressing that it had become a development, humanitarian, peace and security issue with serious implications for human survival and regional stability.
The ECOWAS official also cited World Bank projections indicating that the number of internally displaced people in the sub region could rise to almost 32 million by 2050, largely as a result of climate related pressures.
He called on member states to move away from isolated responses and adopt a broader regional strategy focused on climate resilience and human security.
According to him, governments need to invest in resilience before crises emerge, while protecting ecosystems, creating sustainable livelihoods and addressing grievances before they develop into wider conflicts.
ECOWAS also highlighted the region’s significant climate financing gap, estimating that about $294 billion is required to meet its climate financing needs.
The Commission said work had been ongoing since 2024 towards the establishment of a regional carbon market platform under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, with the aim of attracting more investment into climate action.
Parliamentarians were urged to strengthen climate focused legislation and oversight, improve access to climate finance and expand early warning and early action systems across the region.
ECOWAS also stressed the need for better management of land, water, forests and fisheries, while encouraging governments to give greater attention to young people and women as key drivers of climate resilience through innovation, entrepreneurship and community leadership.
The parliamentary seminar is being held under the theme, “Climate Change as a Driver of Environmental Degradation, Population Displacement and Rising Insecurity in the ECOWAS Region.”
Alongside the discussions, the Second 2026 Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament is expected to consider the institution’s 2027 budget and activity programme.
