General News
Climate Crisis Threatens Human Survival, Dignity Across West Africa, ECOWAS Parliament Speaker Warns
By Iyojo Ameh
Climate change has moved beyond an environmental concern to become a direct threat to human survival, dignity and security across West Africa, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, has said.
Ibrahima raised the alarm on Monday in Accra, Ghana, while declaring open the Second Parliamentary Seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament for 2026.
She said the consequences of climate disruption were no longer confined to statistics and projections, but were increasingly evident in communities across the region.
According to her, declining agricultural yields, retreating coastlines, recurrent flooding, loss of livelihoods and the displacement of families were among the growing impacts of environmental changes confronting West African populations.
She said the urgent question before policymakers was how to safeguard the living conditions, dignity and security of citizens as the pace of environmental change increasingly exceeds the ability of communities to adapt.
The ECOWAS Parliament Speaker urged lawmakers to use the seminar to move beyond conventional climate change discussions and examine the realities facing communities within their respective countries.
Ibrahima also called for closer integration of scientific expertise with the experiences of parliamentarians and citizens, stressing that effective policy proposals must reflect both scientific evidence and realities on the ground.
She said meaningful solutions could emerge from sustained dialogue between technical experts, policymakers and communities directly affected by climate change.
The Speaker urged participants to prioritise “substance, listening and work” throughout the seminar, rather than focusing on ceremony, as regional lawmakers deliberate on climate challenges and possible responses.
