The devastating impacts of climate change are no longer distant warnings; they are a daily reality across Africa. Climate disasters are intensifying across the region, from severe flooding in Nigeria and Togo to prolonged droughts in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Simultaneously, rising sea levels in the Gulf of Guinea are escalating food insecurity.
These events have inflicted enormous human, environmental, and economic losses, threatening decades of development gains.
As governments, communities, and international partners seek solutions, experts warn that understanding climate risks and accurately assessing losses are essential for effective adaptation and resilience-building.
West Africa comprises 16 countries with diverse ecosystems ranging from coastal mangroves to arid deserts.
In spite of contributing only a small fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, the region is among the World’s most vulnerable to climate change.
According to climate experts, average temperatures across West Africa are rising faster than the global average; rainfall patterns have become increasingly erratic, leading to more intense floods in some areas and prolonged droughts in others.
These changing weather patterns affect agriculture, fisheries, water resources, energy production, health, infrastructure, and livelihoods.
Weighing in on this, the Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Ayodele Wisdom, said flooding had emerged as one of the most destructive climate hazards in West Africa.
Wisdom spoke recently at the opening of the Climate Beyond Borders Caravan’s (CBBC) capacity building workshop in Abuja, themed “From Awareness to Action: Mobilising Resourceful Nigerian Youth for Grassroots Climate Solutions.”
Wisdom was represented by Mrs. Akinfiresoye Tolulope, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister for Youth Development on Social Security Administration and Climate action.
According to him, countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire have experienced repeated flooding that has destroyed homes, roads, bridges, schools, and farmlands.
“In the Sahel, countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad continue to battle persistent drought, desertification, and land degradation, reducing agricultural productivity and worsening food insecurity.
“Coastal erosion and sea-level rise threaten major cities including Lagos, Abidjan, Dakar, and Accra, placing millions of residents and billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure at risk.
“Communities that depend on fishing are also experiencing declining fish stocks due to warming waters and changing marine ecosystems.”
He affirmed the Federal Government’s readiness to advance youth empowerment to mitigate climate change.
According to him, by mitigating climate change and reducing carbon emissions, the ministry is simultaneously creating jobs, tackling unemployment, reducing poverty, and driving sustainable development.
Moreover, the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has said Ghana loses about $200 million annually to floods and droughts.
The Deputy Director-General of GMet, Mr. Ignatius Williams, disclosed this when a team from CBBC, an initiative of the People, Planet and Peace Foundation, paid a courtesy visit to the agency in Accra.
Williams said Ghana faced escalating climate hazards that cost the country billions of dollars annually and claimed hundreds of lives.
According to him, the losses will continue to rise without strengthened early warning systems and improved climate resilience measures.
“In 2023, the impact of the Akosombo Dam spillage caused severe flooding that devastated livelihoods, displaced thousands of families and resulted in losses estimated at about $141 million.
“In June 2015, the Accra flood disaster caused massive economic losses, claimed more than 200 lives and resulted in food losses estimated at 108 million dollars.
“In 2024, documented drought impacts affected 135,822 farmers across 571,745 hectares of farmland,” he said.
On his part, Joseph Portuphy, Deputy Director, Synoptic Meteorology and Forecasting at GMet, said the impact of climate change resulting to economic losses include damaged infrastructure, reduced agricultural yields, disrupted businesses, and increased healthcare costs in Africa.
He pointed out that Social losses involve displacement, interrupted education, food shortages, unemployment, and worsening poverty.
“Environmental losses include disappearing forests, shrinking wetlands, biodiversity decline, soil degradation, and reduced freshwater availability.
“There are also non-economic losses that cannot easily be measured in monetary terms; these include the loss of cultural heritage, indigenous knowledge, sacred sites, traditional livelihoods, and human lives.
“Experts argue that these invisible losses often receive inadequate attention despite their lasting impacts on communities,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, E LAFI SOU Foundation and People Planet and Peace Foundation (PPPF) trained 100 indigenous people of the Djebonoua community on agroforestry to tackle climate change.
The training, held recently in Djebonoua, central Côte d’Ivoire, was aimed at equipping participants with practical knowledge and skills on strengthening climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
The training also equipped them with sustainable agricultural practices that promote environmental conservation and improved productivity.
Speaking at the event, President of E LAFI SOU Foundation, Mr. Koffi Matieu, said the programme was designed to help participants understand the fundamentals of agroforestry and effectively apply the concepts in their communities.
According to him, the initiative seeks to enhance participants’ capacity to design and implement agroforestry systems that are adapted to local realities and environmental challenges.
CBBC Lead, Mr. Olatunji Francisco, said agriculture remained the backbone of most West African economies, employing a significant share of the population.
He, however, said that unpredictable rainfall, extreme heat, pest outbreaks, and prolonged dry spells continue to reduce crop yields.
A forest expert and guest speaker at the event, Mr. Kotne Arthur, described agroecology as an integrated approach that applied ecological principles to the design and sustainable management of agricultural systems.
He said agroecology optimised interactions among plants, animals, humans and the environment, thereby improving productivity, resilience, biodiversity and sustainability.
Arthur noted that mitigation and adaptation remained two complementary strategies in addressing climate change.
“Mitigation focuses on addressing the causes of climate change, while adaptation focuses on responding to its consequences,” he said.
In a related development, the Sub-Prefect of Djebonoua, Mrs. Karamoko Sinia, pledged to intensify advocacy against indiscriminate tree felling in the community during a visit by members of the CBBC.
Sinia said Djebonoua remained the leading producer of tomatoes in Côte d’Ivoire but faced major challenges, including post-harvest losses and inadequate water supply for farming.
“Although we produce more tomatoes than other communities, our farmers earn little due to wastage; water scarcity is also a major challenge affecting agricultural production,” she said.
Responding, CBBC Secretary in Nigeria, Miss Kumuyi Olabisi, assured the community of PPPF’s support in addressing some of the identified challenges.
She said the organisation would assist in providing water reservoirs for irrigation and also support initiatives in maternal and child healthcare.
Olabisi added that the foundation would explore ways of assisting farmers with tomato preservation facilities to reduce post-harvest losses and improve incomes.
According to her, CBBC is a Pan-African, youth-led initiative committed to promoting climate justice, cross-border cooperation and green economic transformation across the continent.
Moreover, The Rotary Club of Lomé Zenith, in partnership with the People Planet and Peace Foundation, recently planted mangrove trees along the coastline of Aneho, a coastal town in southeastern Togo aimed at mitigating the effects of flooding, coastal erosion, storms and mudslides in the area.
Landry Amewounou, President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Lomé Zenith, said the organisations selected the location to complement ongoing efforts by stakeholders to address the impact of climate change in Togo.
Amewounou, a solar energy photovoltaic expert, said the Togolese Government was working toward increasing the adoption of renewable energy as part of its energy transition agenda by 2030.
Also Speaking, Eusebio Cesar, Project Manager of the West Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) Management Programme, commended the Rotary Club and the foundation for the tree-planting initiative.
Cesar said the WACA programme had contributed to creating economic opportunities and improving livelihoods in coastal communities.
He added that the programme also promoted sustainable management of marine and coastal resources through experience-sharing and networking among stakeholders.
“WACA continues to strengthen a regional dynamic focused on sustainable solutions for the resilience and economic development of Africa’s coastal areas.”
In a related development, Mr. Hermann Amadoto, District Governor Nominee for Rotary District 9103 (Togo, Benin and Niger), said Togo would pursue a “Waste-to-Wealth” initiative aimed at creating employment opportunities for young people.
He said plans were underway to establish recycling firms to process plastic waste locally instead of exporting it for recycling abroad.
According to him, the initiative would generate jobs and contribute to environmental sustainability.
Similarly, Mr. Modeste Messavussu-Akue, President of the Rotary Club of Lomé Zenith, commended CBBC members for implementing climate-related projects in Togo.
According to him, Rotary’s seventh area of focus is about community development supporting the environment.
For West African stakeholders, climate change has become one of the most pressing development challenges in the region.
They say the region’s growing exposure to floods, droughts, heatwaves, coastal erosion, and food insecurity demands urgent and coordinated action.