By Faridat Salifu
Climate justice advocates from across West Africa have called for fundamental reforms to climate governance, saying the region can only achieve climate justice through coordinated regional action, stronger community participation and policies that address the structural causes of climate vulnerability.
The call was made at the West Africa Climate Justice Movement Conference convened by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) in Abuja on Wednesday under the theme, “Building Solidarity for Climate Justice in West Africa.”
The conference brought together civil society organisations, climate activists, academics, development partners, youth and women leaders, and community representatives from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo to discuss a collective regional response to climate and environmental challenges.
Speaking at the conference, HOMEF Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey, said climate change was already disrupting livelihoods through changing rainfall patterns, flooding, extreme temperatures and coastal erosion.
He warned that rising sea levels and land subsidence were increasing the vulnerability of communities in the Niger Delta, forcing many residents from their homes.
Bassey argued that the displacement of affected populations should not be viewed simply as climate migration because many people are compelled to relocate against their wishes.
He criticised carbon offset projects, geoengineering proposals and large-scale land acquisitions that, according to him, transfer forests, mangroves and other natural resources to corporate interests while limiting access for host communities.
Bassey stressed that Africa’s energy transition must prioritise justice by ensuring renewable energy investments improve the welfare of African communities instead of serving external interests.
He also called on civil society organisations and climate movements to strengthen cooperation and solidarity across West Africa.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Youba Sokona described climate change as the outcome of long-standing political and economic systems that prioritised profit over people and environmental protection.
He said communities across West Africa were already experiencing severe consequences of climate change, including prolonged droughts, floods, rising temperatures, desertification, coastal erosion and sea-level rise, despite contributing only a small share of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Sokona maintained that climate justice extends beyond environmental protection and should be treated as a struggle for human rights, including access to food, water, land, health and sustainable livelihoods.
He warned that some climate interventions, including carbon markets, large-scale land acquisitions and the global rush for transition minerals, risk creating new forms of exploitation if they fail to protect the rights of local communities.
According to him, Africa’s transition to renewable energy should strengthen local economies and industries rather than reinforce dependence on exporting raw materials and energy resources.
He also urged climate justice groups across the region to build stronger alliances capable of influencing policy, advancing research and promoting coordinated advocacy.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the conference, participants said climate justice in West Africa would require deep institutional and structural reforms that place frontline communities at the centre of decision-making.
They observed that climate change continues to threaten food production, water resources, biodiversity, public health and livelihoods across the region through floods, droughts, desertification, coastal erosion and rising sea levels.
The communiqué noted that historical inequalities, global economic structures and continued resource extraction have heightened Africa’s exposure to climate risks, reinforcing the need for equitable climate action and recognition of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Participants expressed concern over carbon markets, forest and land grabs, geoengineering initiatives and poorly regulated green transition projects, warning that such approaches could undermine environmental justice while delaying meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
They further argued that although West Africa contributes little to global emissions, it continues to suffer disproportionately from climate impacts and therefore deserves greater access to climate finance, recognition of climate debt and stronger international support.
The conference also highlighted inadequate climate finance, weak governance and the limited involvement of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups in climate decision-making.
Participants identified community-led adaptation, Indigenous knowledge, agroecology and ecosystem restoration as effective climate solutions that require greater investment and policy support.
Among the resolutions adopted, delegates agreed to strengthen the West Africa Climate Justice Movement as a permanent platform for regional cooperation, coordinated advocacy, research and knowledge exchange.
They also resolved to promote rights-based climate governance, support community-owned renewable energy initiatives, demand increased grant-based climate finance and technology transfer, reject harmful carbon market mechanisms, improve environmental accountability and expand the participation of Indigenous Peoples, women, youth and local communities in climate policy.
The conference further endorsed stronger regional partnerships, investment in research and Indigenous knowledge systems, and the establishment of an annual tree-planting campaign across West Africa to promote ecological restoration, climate resilience and regional solidarity.
