By Lizzy Chirkpi
A Guinea-Bissau lawmaker at the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Manuel Nascimento Lopes, has warned that failure to protect the environment could expose future generations across West Africa to worsening flooding, displacement and insecurity.
Nascimento Lopes spoke as the ECOWAS Parliament prepares to hold its second parliamentary seminar of 2026 in Accra, Ghana, where lawmakers are expected to examine the growing links between climate change, environmental degradation, population displacement and insecurity in the region.
The seminar is themed: “Climate Change, a Factor in Environmental Degradation, Displacement of Populations and Increasing Insecurity in the ECOWAS Space.”
The Guinea-Bissau legislator said West African countries must move beyond reacting to environmental disasters and develop a culture of environmental protection, particularly among younger generations.
“We need to protect our environment as Africans, as West Africans. We need to give exemplary ideas to the younger generation,” he said.
Nascimento Lopes spoke after an ad hoc committee meeting of the Parliament considered the preliminary budget review for 2026 and the annual draft work plan for 2027.
He said the Parliament’s decision to focus on environmental degradation was timely, given the increasing impact of flooding and other extreme weather events on communities across the region.
The lawmaker said environmental protection should not be treated solely as the responsibility of governments, stressing the need to educate young people from an early age and make environmental preservation part of their daily lives.
“If we do not teach them how to preserve our environment, it will be very difficult for them to inculcate that as their way of life,” he added.
He also expressed concern over activities that degrade land and other natural resources, warning that continued environmental destruction could increase the vulnerability of communities across West Africa.
According to him, the consequences are already evident in communities affected by flooding, with houses submerged and residents displaced.
“What will happen to us in the next 10 to 20 years? We see houses submerging and flooding all around,” he asked.
He therefore urged ECOWAS member states to make environmental protection a long-term regional priority and strengthen preventive measures rather than waiting for disasters to occur before responding.
The Accra seminar is expected to bring lawmakers together to examine how climate change and environmental degradation are contributing to population displacement and insecurity, as well as explore possible regional responses to the challenges.