Empowering Local Communities: Key Strategies for Climate Adaptation in West Africa

The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) recently concluded with a strong emphasis on climate adaptation and resilience, particularly in West African nations such as Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal. These countries face escalating climate challenges, including droughts, floods, and coastal erosion, which threaten critical sectors of their economies and overall well-being. Recognizing the urgent need for adaptation financing and support, COP28 highlighted the importance of technology transfer, capacity-building initiatives, and nature-based solutions in bolstering resilience in developing countries.

To address the challenges faced by West African nations, the Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI) partnered with organizations in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal to launch the ‘Climate adaptation in West Africa: Strategies, practices, and initiatives’ project. This research project aimed to investigate and document the status, needs, and priorities for climate actions in these countries, as well as the adaptation priorities and needs of local communities. The project also sought to identify challenges, opportunities, and entry points for effective and sustained adaptation action to inform the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other climate action policies.

Key findings from the study revealed that African countries, including Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria, have been actively working to enhance the resilience of their most vulnerable communities through comprehensive adaptation strategies outlined in their NDCs. However, challenges such as limited financial resources, weak institutional capacities, and insufficient coordination among stakeholders hinder the effective implementation of these strategies. Integrating climate considerations into broader development policies and fostering collaboration between government agencies and local stakeholders are crucial for building local resilience.

Locally-led adaptation (LLA) strategies were identified as a key component in addressing the unique challenges posed by climate change on local communities in West Africa. These strategies leverage local knowledge, practices, and experiences to ensure contextually relevant and durable adaptation efforts. However, LLA practices face obstacles such as funding gaps, limited access to evidence-based knowledge, and inadequate recognition of the contributions of women and disadvantaged groups.

Recommendations for national policy communities include devolving climate governance to the local level, enhancing access to climate adaptation financial resources, integrating traditional knowledge into adaptation strategies, and promoting collaborations between stakeholders. For the international community, recommendations include championing the integration of LLA into national and global climate goals, strengthening capacity-building and knowledge-sharing efforts, increasing international climate finance for LLA, and allocating resources for comprehensive climate research and data collection.

Overall, the study underscores the importance of empowering local communities in West Africa to lead climate adaptation efforts and highlights the need for coordinated action at the national and international levels to build resilience and mitigate the impacts of climate change.