GECEAO Mid-Term Meeting in Abuja Calls for Enhanced Disaster Resilience Across West Africa

GECEAO Mid-Term Meeting in Abuja Calls for Enhanced Disaster Resilience Across West Africa

From 10 to 12 September 2024, members of the Regional Committee for Disaster Management in West Africa (GECEAO) gathered in Abuja for mid-term consultations to review progress on recommendations from the 15th consultation in Niamey, Niger, held in May 2023. Discussions also focused on the draft ECOWAS recovery roadmap and guidelines for expert rosters.

Organised by the ECOWAS Commission’s Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, the annual meeting brought together GECEAO members to strengthen disaster preparedness and risk reduction efforts. The event provided a platform for sharing experiences, best practices, and lessons learnt, with the goal of improving regional coordination and national disaster management agencies’ capabilities.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, Head of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Risk Reduction at ECOWAS, who represented Dr. Sintiki Tarfa-Ugbe, Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, emphasised the importance of empowering disaster management agencies across the region. He highlighted the need for collaboration between national agencies, regional organizations, NGOs, and international partners to enhance regional resilience and develop strategies to protect communities from natural and human-made disasters.

“While conflict remains a major cause of displacement, climate change is increasingly influencing migration in West Africa,” Mr. Ibrahim said. He called for a coordinated approach to address the dual challenges of conflict and climate disasters, urging member states to break the cycle and improve humanitarian access. “A state’s ability to respond to disasters effectively depends on its internal response mechanisms and its ability to deploy them before external assistance arrives,” he added.

Dr. Daniel Obot, Director of Disaster Risk Reduction at Nigeria’s Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), emphasized the need for stronger collaboration among member states to tackle transboundary disasters. He stressed the importance of harmonized emergency response strategies. “Sustainable development can’t happen without resilience-building measures,” Dr. Obot said. “The strategies we review here must be implemented across all member states if we are to see real progress.”

Ghana, the current chair of the GECEAO, represented by Mr. Frank Kwesi Nansam-Aggrey, expressed concern over the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters in the subregion. He called for an urgent review of regional preparedness efforts and highlighted Ghana’s initiatives, including the establishment of an Emergency Disaster Fund, purchasing Drought Risk Sovereign Insurance for small-scale farmers, and enhancing flood and drought early warning systems.

Mr. Nansam-Aggrey also stressed the need for greater funding to manage rising disaster risks in the region. “The vulnerability of West Africa is evident in the annual devastation caused by disasters. Without sufficient funding, it’s difficult to build resilience or assist affected communities,” he concluded.

The meeting is expected to produce actionable recommendations to improve disaster risk management and resilience across West Africa.