Abuja, 12^th September 2018 . The Scientific and Technical Consultative Group on Climate Change (STCGCC) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have commenced a three-day meeting on 12^th September 2018 in Abuja, Nigeria in order to develop strategies which will ensure the coordinated and effective use of scientific research to address the challenges of climate change in the region.

Members of the STCGCC will also validate the Terms of Reference for the development of a comprehensive regional programme on climate change and the study on its impacts and adaptation costs in agriculture, water resources and the coastal zones in West Africa.

In his opening remarks during the meeting, Mr.Bougonou Djeri-Alassani, the ECOWAS Head of Division for Environment Policies and Regulations who represented the Commission’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Sékou Sangare, stated that in West Africa, more than 75% of the population are affected at least once every two years by natural phenomena that are increasingly violent and devastating due to climate change.

Mr.Djeri-Alassani highlighted that this has led to desertification, the degradation of natural resources and food insecurity which has had an adverse effect on the economy and the quality of life of Community citizens.

He stated that in order to address this situation, several initiatives are being carried out around the world under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris agreement which was adopted in December 2015 to find sustainable solutions that will protect the environment.

‘At the regional level, institutions for climate research are working to identify the dynamics of these changes in order to better guide the fight against climate change’, he said.

This is the 2^nd meeting of the STCGCC. The first meeting of the group which held in February 2017 initiated discussions for coordinating climate related actions among regional institutions.