The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has warned that climate change, environmental degradation and insecurity could drive the number of internally displaced people in the sub-region to nearly 32 million by 2050.
The warning was issued at the Second 2026 Parliamentary Seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament in Accra, Ghana, where lawmakers are examining the relationship between climate change, population displacement and rising insecurity across the region.
Representing the President of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame Diop, the Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Professor Nassirou Bako-Arifari, said more than two million people were displaced in West Africa in 2024 as a result of natural disasters linked to climate change.
He said more than seven million people were affected by flooding during the same period, with homes, roads, schools, healthcare facilities, farms and other infrastructure destroyed.
According to a presentation by the ECOWAS Commission, the combined effects of climate change, insecurity and other vulnerabilities between 2025 and 2026 resulted in more than 12 million internally displaced people across West and Central Africa, with women and children accounting for 80 per cent of the figure.
“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,” Bako-Arifari said.
The ECOWAS official cited World Bank projections that the number of internally displaced people in the sub-region could rise to nearly 32 million by 2050, largely due to the combined effects of climate change.
He urged ECOWAS member states to move away from fragmented responses and adopt a comprehensive regional agenda focused on climate resilience and human security.
“We must be proactive and invest in resilience before crises occur,” he said, stressing the need to protect ecosystems, create livelihoods and address grievances before they escalate into conflict.
The ECOWAS Commission also identified climate financing as a major challenge, estimating that about $294 billion would be required to meet the region’s climate financing needs.
It said ECOWAS had, since 2024, been working towards establishing a regional carbon market platform under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement as part of efforts to mobilise investment for climate action.
The commission called on parliamentarians to strengthen climate-responsive legislation and oversight, prioritise climate financing and improve early-warning and early-action systems.
It also urged member states to promote sustainable management of land, water, forests and fisheries.
The commission further called for young people and women to be placed at the centre of climate resilience efforts, describing them as innovators, entrepreneurs, community leaders and agents of resilience.
The parliamentary seminar is being held under the theme, “Climate Change as a Driver of Environmental Degradation, Population Displacement and Rising Insecurity in the ECOWAS Region.”
The Second 2026 Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament will also consider the institution’s 2027 budget and activity programme.
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