Climate change could displace nearly 32 million West Africans by 2050 without urgent regional action, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has warned.
Speaking at the Joint Parliamentary Seminar in Accra, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs Prof Nassirou Bako-Arifari warned that environmental degradation is driving mass displacement and compounding regional security threats.
Delivering opening remarks on behalf of ECOWAS Commission President General Birame Diop, Prof Bako-Arifari highlighted the escalating toll of natural disasters across the region.
More than two million West Africans were displaced by climate-related disasters in 2024, with seven million affected by severe flooding that destroyed critical infrastructure, farmland, and homes.
Between 2025 and 2026, combined environmental and security crises left over 12 million internal refugees across West and Central Africa—80% of whom are women and children. Prof Bako-Arifari paid tribute to victims of recent severe flooding in host nation Ghana, calling on delegates to observe a minute of silence before urging parliamentarians to move beyond discussion toward binding regional action.
A New Vision for Security
ECOWAS outlined key initiatives underway to address the crisis, including:$294bn Climate Financing Drive: Establishing a regional carbon market platform under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to attract clean energy and adaptation funds, early Warning Systems: Shifting regional strategy from disaster response to predictive, community-based risk management, legislative Action: Urging national parliaments to integrate the 2022–2030 Regional Climate Strategy into national budgets and natural resource legislation.
“Security is not only about protecting borders and preventing armed conflict,” Prof Bako-Arifari told lawmakers. “It is also about ensuring that citizens have access to food, water, livelihoods, and a safe environment.”
The three-day seminar in Ghana brings together regional parliamentarians to draft policy recommendations aimed at building climate resilience ahead of the ECOWAS 2050 regional goals.
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