ECOWAS PARLIAMENT OPENS ACCRA SEMINAR AND EXTRAORDINARY SESSION, HIGHLIGHTS CLIMATE, PEACE AND SECURITY CHALLENGES

ECOWAS PARLIAMENT OPENS ACCRA SEMINAR AND EXTRAORDINARY SESSION, HIGHLIGHTS CLIMATE, PEACE AND SECURITY CHALLENGES

The ECOWAS Parliament on 22 September 2026 officially opened its Second 2026 Parliamentary Seminar and Second Extraordinary Session in Accra, Republic of Ghana, bringing together parliamentarians, representatives of ECOWAS institutions, the Government and Parliament of Ghana, development partners and other stakeholders to deliberate on regional integration and the interconnections between climate change, environmental degradation, population displacement and insecurity. The joint opening ceremony was attended by H.E. Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana, who welcomed the ECOWAS delegation and reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to regional cooperation and the work of the ECOWAS Parliament.

The ceremony also featured addresses by the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Hon. Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, the Leader of the Ghanaian Delegation, Hon. George Kwaku Ricketts-Hagan, and representatives of the Parliament of Ghana and the ECOWAS Commission. In her opening address, the Speaker underscored the need to translate climate commitments into effective legislation, adequately funded policies and tangible results, emphasising Parliament’s role in climate resilience, oversight and the protection of vulnerable populations.

The representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Prof. Nassirou Bako-Arifari, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, highlighted the implications of climate change for livelihoods, displacement and regional security, while reaffirming the Commission’s commitment to regional cooperation. The seminar subsequently featured a presentation by the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) on the climate-security nexus and inclusive climate governance, followed by panel discussions on climate-related security risks, human security, displacement, resilience and financing. These engagements are intended to strengthen parliamentary understanding and inform practical recommendations for coordinated regional responses to climate-related challenges.