Accra:West Africa’s growing climate challenges have highlighted concerns about whether the ECOWAS Parliament possesses adequate authority to turn regional priorities into tangible action.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, this issue was raised by regional parliamentarians during the 2026 Second Extraordinary Session and Seminar in Accra, Ghana. The event, themed ‘Climate Change as A Driver of Environmental Degradation, Population Displacement and Rising Insecurity,’ aimed to explore the connections between climate change, population displacement, and increasing insecurity in the region.
The lawmakers expressed that the Parliament’s current limited powers hinder its capacity to effectively scrutinize ECOWAS institutions and ensure that recommendations addressing critical regional challenges are implemented meaningfully. They suggested amending articles to grant more legislative powers to ECOWAS and its judiciary.
Nigerian lawmaker Sen. Ali Ndume emphasized that issues such as climate change, migration, and food insecurity require regional solutions, which advisory recommendations may not sufficiently provide. He questioned the effectiveness of parliamentary advice when implementation relies on decisions by other ECOWAS organs.
Ndume further questioned the extent of the Parliament’s power beyond advisory roles, highlighting the need for recommendations to have greater institutional impact. He described climate change as a governance test and called for discussions on expanding the power of the regional parliament.
The urgency of the debate was underscored by discussions on environmental degradation, land use, and population displacement, including the tensions resulting from cross-border movements of pastoral communities. Lawmakers argued that strengthening the Parliament’s authority would enhance accountability, as regional lawmakers would bear greater responsibility for the policies they propose.
The framework of the ECOWAS Parliament anticipates evolving powers, including legislative functions in specific areas, yet its predominantly advisory role continues to raise questions about transforming regional discussions into enforceable community actions.