The Conference of the Parties on Climate COP 26 records a panoply of initiatives and commitments in favor of climate action. For its part, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is working on a regional climate strategy, with a view to strengthening the coordination of climate action in its area.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, with negative impacts on the livelihoods of communities. ECOWAS is developing a regional climate strategy to strengthen the coordination of climate action in West Africa. This framework in the making, will decline objectives for 2030 and 2050, as well as an action plan in the priority sectors for the region, in terms of development: in particular, agriculture, energy, forestry, water, or transport and infrastructure. In a press release, the ECOWAS communication department indicates that the community already has several regional public policies that contribute to the fight against climate change in West Africa in a multisectoral and cross-cutting manner.

“Because coordinated regional action has more impact than the mere addition of national policies, ECOWAS has worked throughout 2021 to develop a regional climate strategy. This strategy will contribute to strengthening the region's resilience to the impacts of climate change, in particular through support for the implementation of the commitments made by its Member States under the Paris Agreement. This community initiative is based on a steering committee bringing together most of the departments of the ECOWAS Commission and regular consultation with Member States, other regional institutions such as the Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS ) or the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), including actors from civil society and the private sector.