West Africa Facing Hard Times, Finding It Difficult To Cope With Effects Of Population Growth, Says ECOWAS

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expressed concern that member states are struggling to keep up with population growth and the resulting demand for housing, transportation, basic services, food, jobs, and urban livelihoods.

Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr, ECOWAS Commissioner on Human Rights and Social Affairs, stated at the Stakeholders’ Consultation Workshop on ECOWAS Regional Resilience Strategy for West Africa in Abuja on Tuesday that the current realities of rapid population growth in West Africa, with women and children being the worst victims, contribute to increased demand for housing, transportation, basic services, food, jobs, and urban livelihood opportunities, among other things. These issues put additional strain on the region’s coping capacity as member states work to recover from these challenges.”

He stated that the three-day workshop in Abuja is a significant milestone in our collective efforts to strengthen regional stability, peace, and development in West Africa, and that the overall goal of the workshop is to bring together key technical stakeholders to deliberate on the development of a comprehensive Regional Resilience Strategy that will increase our collective capacity to address the complex challenges confronting our region.

He went on to say, “This forum, which aims to promote transparency and collaboration, will undoubtedly foster resilience and sustainable development throughout our region.”

He lamented that: “West Africa, with an estimated population of 446,452,019, or 5.47% of the total world population, is facing a magnitude of vulnerability and exposure to hazards and disaster losses that are expected to increase over the next decade.” Climate change is expected to result in more extreme weather situations, such as heavy rains causing devastating floods and drought in West Africa, which continue to be some of the most severe disasters in the region.
In addition to natural disasters, our region is currently dealing with some of the world’s most complex challenges, such as conflict and violence, terrorism, extreme poverty, weak governance, and widespread food insecurity, which leads to malnutrition.

“The region also suffers from various types of forced human displacement, as well as epidemic outbreaks such as cholera, Ebola virus disease, and COVID-19.” Vulnerability stems from a high level of poverty and a reliance on climate change-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, mining, and forestry, which results in significant economic losses, damage to agricultural lands, infrastructure, and human casualties.

He stated that despite the development of some policies and strategies to address the issues, the region continues to experience increasing disasters that have severely impacted key sectors of the economy, directly affecting population and livelihoods.

He outlined some of the strategies used to promote good governance, peace and security, macroeconomic resilience, equitable access to basic services, sustainable livelihoods, gender sensitivity and social inclusion, and climate change and disaster risk reduction.

Ms. Elsie Attafuah, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria, stated that the West African region is undergoing significant demographic, social, economic, environmental, and political transformations, with the region’s population expected to exceed 900 million by 2050, with more than 64% under the age of 25.

She insisted that: “These demographic changes have an impact on the effectiveness of our current policies, resource allocation decisions, and development trajectory, necessitating novel approaches to meeting the needs of our young population.”
Despite abundant natural resources, sustainable exploitation and equitable distribution of benefits to communities remain difficult. While West Africa accounts for only 1.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the region is experiencing rising temperatures and extreme weather events, which are exacerbated by inadequate development and governance, as well as peace and security challenges.

Attafuah, who was represented by Nigeria’s Deputy Resident Representative, Mr. Blessed Chirimuta, stated, “We are confident in the people of West Africa’s resilience and unwavering determination to overcome these challenges and build a better future for all, through collaborative efforts and innovative solutions.”

The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed, stated that the workshop, whose outcome is expected to provide the foundation for resilient building, is very timely given the current regional and global crises, emphasising that “the workshop comes at a time when the economic downturn has impacted the entire world with adverse socio-economic outcomes. Countries in the West African subregion have been particularly hard hit; therefore, there is no better time than now to develop a resilience strategy that will assist them in dealing with externalities and fostering long-term development.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, you may recall that the geography, demographics, and political dynamics of West Africa have predisposed the subregion to complex nature and human-caused disaster and emergency situations. ECOWAS countries have experienced a number of disasters, crises, and conflicts that have threatened normal life, people’s means of subsistence, and long-term economic growth and development.

He stated that West Africa’s predominant disaster risk profile has significantly posed a threat to the region’s efforts in meeting crucial global and continental initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030; the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030; and the African Agenda 2060, with other initiatives impacted including the African Union Programme of Action (AUC-PoA) and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).