The fifteen (15) Ministers of Environment of ECOWAS Member States, meeting under the chairmanship of Honorable Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation of Ghana, on Friday 29 April 2022, validated the ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy.

The ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy is the result of a collaborative process spanning over a year between institutions, ECOWAS Member States within the subregion, technical and financial partners and civil society organizations. This invariably culminated in a two-day high-level stakeholder workshop held on April 26th and 27th in Accra, Ghana. The critical issue of climate change affects us all, therefore the response to it requires the participation of all. This Regional Climate Strategy is deemed a catalyst for action by all stakeholders.

By adopting this strategy, ECOWAS is committing itself alongside and with the support of its fifteen (15) Member States to make climate a priority for political action in the region, in line with its Vision 2050, which is based on the observation that the impacts of climate change are transboundary and that it is together that ECOWAS Member States can meet this challenge. Acting on climate change at the West African regional level is essential because the coordination of interventions, solidarity between Member States and the commitment of local communities are the keys to effective and sustainable action on climate change. It is also an opportunity to raise the region’s voice on the international scene, by carrying the messages of a united and supportive region in the climate negotiations, and by structuring the mobilization of financial resources to massively increase international climate financing said Commissioner Sékou Sangaré, in charge of agriculture, environment and water resources at the ECOWAS Commission.

An ambitious strategic document that sets out ECOWAS’ climate action in the long term across all sectors

The Regional Climate Strategy contains sectoral objectives for adaptation – a priority issue for the region – and contribution to climate change mitigation by a multi sectoral approach i.e. (transport, agriculture, energy, land use, water, health etc.).

These targets are set for 2030, in line with the deadline for Member States’ commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement, with a review planned for 2050, in a process of continuous improvement as stated in this Agreement.

The Regional Climate Strategy also details how regional institutions, Member States, their partners and civil society actors will cooperate for its implementation. The strategy aims at an institutional paradigm shift and deep transformations in society, which should result in each project and regional policy being compatible with the Paris Agreement and promoting the resilience of local communities.