By Abbas Nazil
The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called for urgent and people-centred action to address the worsening effects of climate change, environmental degradation, population displacement and insecurity across the sub-region.
Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, made the call on Monday in Accra, Ghana, during the Parliament’s 2026 Second Extraordinary Session Seminar.
The seminar was themed, “Focusing on Climate Change, Environmental Degradation, Population Displacement and Growing Insecurity in the ECOWAS Region.”
Ibrahima warned that climate change was increasingly contributing to displacement and insecurity, while environmental disruption continued to affect livelihoods, communities and the security of populations across West Africa.
She said the consequences of climate change could no longer be treated merely as figures, scientific projections or distant environmental concerns, stressing that communities were already experiencing its impact.
According to her, the realities of climate disruption were visible in declining land productivity, retreating coastlines, flooded neighbourhoods, loss of livelihoods and the displacement of families and communities.
She said the growing climate crisis had therefore raised a broader human question about how to protect the living conditions, dignity and security of populations whose environments were changing faster than their capacity to adapt.
The Speaker called on parliamentarians to connect technical knowledge on climate change with the realities faced by their constituents and communities.
She said lawmakers had a responsibility to ensure that discussions on climate change and environmental degradation reflected the experiences of people directly affected by environmental changes.
Ibrahima said the expertise being shared at the seminar would be valuable in shaping discussions, but stressed that technical knowledge needed to be combined with the experiences of lawmakers who remained closely connected to their territories and the people they represented.
She said meaningful proposals could emerge from a dialogue between scientific and technical expertise and the lived experiences of communities.
The Speaker said the seminar was intended to help parliamentarians better understand the consequences of climate change and environmental degradation within their respective territories rather than simply restating already known information.
She urged participants to consider practical responses capable of addressing the interconnected challenges of environmental degradation, population movements and insecurity.
The parliament, together with experts and other stakeholders, is expected to examine how climate change and environmental degradation contribute to population movements and growing insecurity across the ECOWAS region.
The discussions are also expected to support the development of regional responses to the challenges arising from environmental and climate-related changes.
Ibrahima said the responsibility of regional parliamentarians extended beyond policy discussions, requiring them to translate technical knowledge into responses that addressed the realities experienced by communities across West Africa.
The seminar therefore places climate change within a broader regional context, linking environmental disruption with livelihoods, population displacement and security concerns confronting communities across the ECOWAS sub-region.
