ECOWAS Meeting Tackles Climate-Related Human Mobility

The ECOWAS Commission held a meeting to advance regional cooperation on climate-related human mobility, attended by representatives from Member States, ECOWAS Institutions, development partners, and youth. This meeting builds on the reactivation of the Working Group in 2025 and aims to translate its mandate into a 2027-2028 work plan.

Participants are identifying priorities for supporting Member States in implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and developing or revising National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). The meeting addressed the urgent need for regional cooperation due to climate pressures affecting livelihoods and food security in West Africa, with an estimated 12.7 million internal disaster displacement movements recorded from 2009 to 2023.

Nigeria’s Comptroller General of Immigration, Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap, represented by Comptroller Abdul-Majeed Yabagi, emphasized the impact of climate-driven mobility on border flows. The discussions also included a goodwill message from Madam Ajara Jallow of the IOM, highlighting the importance of evidence-based policy for climate mobility.