The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says 32 million people risk being displaced from their communities due to the ravaging effects of climate change currently confronting the sub-region.

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Gen. Birame Diop, disclosed this at the second 2026 parliamentary seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament on Tuesday in Accra, Ghana.

The week-long event has “Climate Change as A Driver of Environmental Degradation, Population Displacement and Rising Insecurity” as its theme.

The seminar aims to enable regional parliamentarians, experts and other stakeholders to interrogate the link between climate change, population displacement and rising insecurity in West Africa.

Mr Diop warned that the combined effects of climate change, environmental degradation and insecurity could push the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the sub-region to about 32 million by 2050.

Citing World Bank projections, the commission’s president said women and children accounted for about 80 per cent of the figure.

Represented by Prof. Nassirou Bako-Arifari, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Mr Diop identified climate financing as a major challenge confronting the sub-region, adding that “West Africa requires about $294 billion to tackle the crisis of climate change.”

The president said that since 2024, ECOWAS has been working to establish a regional carbon market platform under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to help mobilise investment for climate action.

He recalled that in 2024 alone, about two million West Africans were displaced by climate-related natural disasters.

He said more than seven million people were affected by flooding alone during the same period, destroying homes, roads, schools, health facilities, farms and other critical infrastructure.

Mr Diop also disclosed that between 2025 and 2026, more than 12 million people were displaced internally across West and Central Africa due to the combined effects of climate change, insecurity and other vulnerabilities.

He therefore appealed to member states to adopt a comprehensive regional approach to climate resilience and human security, rather than fragmented responses.

He added that “climate change is not simply an environmental issue. It is a development issue, a humanitarian issue, a peace and security issue, and ultimately an issue of human survival and regional stability.

“We must be proactive and invest in resilience before crises occur. We must protect ecosystems, create livelihoods and address grievances before they escalate into conflict.”

He also urged regional parliamentarians to strengthen climate-responsive legislation and oversight.

Mr Diop urged them to prioritise climate financing, improve early-warning and early-action systems, and promote sustainable management of land, water, forests and fisheries.

He further appealed to member states to prioritise women and youth in their climate-resilience efforts, describing them as innovators, entrepreneurs, community leaders and agents of resilience.

 (NAN)