West African Parliamentarians Seek Stronger Powers To Tackle Climate Change, Others

Members of Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Parliament) are seeking stronger legislative powers for the regional assembly to tackle the region’s growing climate crisis, migration, and security challenges.

The lawmakers argued that this can be done through an amendment to the existing framework, stressing that the current framework limits the legislative process by making the parliament just an advisory body, which deprives it of the necessary authority to hold the executive arm of government accountable at both national and regional levels.

This concern was raised by Nigerian lawmakers Ali Ndume and Awaji Abiante on the sidelines of the ongoing 2026 Second Extraordinary Session and Seminar, held in Accra, Ghana, which focused on the increasing climate-related pressures on migration, food security, pastoralism, land use, and regional security.

The seminar interrogated issues on how environmental degradation and changing conditions can contribute to population displacement, as well as the implications of population movements across borders on communities and governments.

The lawmakers blamed climate change as the driving force behind environmental degradation, population displacement and growing insecurity in the region, adding that the discussions exposed a fundamental institutional question on how the parliament can effectively respond to problems when its role is simply consultative.

According to Hon Abiante, there is a need to strengthen the parliament to enable its recommendations to carry greater legislative weight, stressing that “the issue is how the power of the regional parliament can be increased so that they don’t just advise or make recommendations but be able to compel implementation of recommendations.”

Also responding, Ndume lamented the parliament’s institutional weakness, adding that its recommendations depend on decisions made by other ECOWAS organs.

He said, “Do we have powers outside of advisory? And how many of the pieces of advice rendered have honestly been considered? “He asked, describing climate change as a governance test.

“The ECOWAS Parliament’s legal framework already gives it responsibilities in regional integration, peace, security and the enactment of Community Acts. Its 2016 Supplementary Act provides for parliamentary opinions and mandatory assent in specified areas, but the distinction between having parliamentary functions and possessing full legislative authority remains important.

“Until you give a man responsibility, you cannot question him on what he has done. So, a stronger Parliament will make regional lawmakers more directly accountable for the issues they debate.

“That is the essence of being a member of parliament, to represent your people, advocate, speak to issues and if possible, hold institutions to account”, Ndume said.

ECOWAS Parliament Protocols previously acknowledged that the Parliament’s powers were intended to progress from an advisory role towards co-decision and eventually a law-making role in areas defined by the regional Authority, but it has remained largely consultative and advisory despite earlier ambition.