The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has estimated that West Africa requires about $294 billion to address the growing impact of climate change, warning that nearly 32 million people could be forced into internal displacement by worsening climate conditions.
ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr. Kalilou Sylla, disclosed this at a regional workshop to validate a framework for establishing a West African carbon market platform.
Sylla, represented by ECOWAS Director of Environment and Natural Resources, Christophe Deguénon, said West Africa remained highly vulnerable to climate change, with temperatures projected to rise by between 1.5 and three degrees Celsius by 2050.
“The ECOWAS Regional Strategy for Access to and Mobilisation of Climate Finance adopted in 2022 estimated the region’s climate financing needs at 294 billion dollars,” he said.
He added that World Bank estimates indicated that nearly 32 million West Africans could be displaced internally as a result of climate impacts, making coordinated regional action essential.
“Climate change constitutes one of the most pressing challenges facing our region today. Indeed, West Africa is among the areas most vulnerable to the effects of climate deregulation,” Sylla said.
According to him, inadequate regulations, limited technical capacity, weak monitoring systems and certification gaps have prevented the region from fully benefiting from international carbon markets, despite its enormous potential to generate high-integrity carbon credits.
He said ECOWAS began developing a harmonised regional carbon market framework in 2024, in line with ECOWAS Vision 2050 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The proposed platform is based on four principles: transparency, environmental integrity, inclusive governance and recognition of member states’ climate efforts.
Sylla noted that member states had adopted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) aimed at keeping global temperature increases within the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold, but warned that achieving the targets would require substantial financing.
“The regional strategy also identified the need to establish a regional framework for the operationalisation of Article 6 to help bridge the financing gap,” he said.
He identified West Africa’s more than 350 million hectares of agricultural land, forests, mangroves and degraded landscapes as major assets capable of generating carbon credits.
“We can generate high-integrity carbon credits. Yet we remain under-represented in international carbon markets,” Sylla stated.
