“The climate no longer concerns a single country”

Which policies conducted by ECOWAS contribute to combating or adapting to climate change?

Alain Sy Traoré: Several elements provide a framework for our action. Firstly, according to the founding treaty of ECOWAS, agriculture, food security and the environment are sectors for which it is possible to define regional policies and regulatory arrangements.

On this basis, we have developed two regional policies related to the environment and climate: ECOWAP, our agricultural policy, and ECOWEP, our environmental policy.

How does this turn out in practice?

Alain Sy Traoré: On the basis of these two policies and the related action plans, ECOWAS is implementing a range of concrete initiatives. This is the case with agriculture, which is a priority for us, as it is very concerned by the impacts of climate change. We have therefore been members of the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA) for a long time and we have created its regional version for West Africa (WAICSA).

We are also firmly committed to the “4 per 1000” Initiative: it has led to the implementation of projects financed by France to support ECOWAS, for example, our project to support the agroecological transition in West Africa (PATAE).

More recently, the “West Africa” component of the European GCCA+ programme has led to a partnership with Expertise France, which I hope will be very fruitful. We have been able to work together on the West African Initiative for Climate-Smart Agriculture, which is one of the 6 projects selected in the context of a competition by the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance.

What does this initiative involve?

Alain Sy Traoré: Our initial idea was to allow donors – companies, regional banks, etc. – to make a financial contribution to the adaptation of agriculture to climate change through our Regional Fund for Agriculture and Food (RFAF). It is for this reason that we want to create a new window devoted to climate finance, in addition to the existing windows at RFAF.

It is a complex subject where there are major financing needs, hence this regional financing mechanism. The window will aim to boost green investments in the agricultural sector. A technical assistance component will support cooperatives, farmers’ organisations, etc. so that they have the capacity to use it.

Experts mobilised by Expertise France have assisted us in the strategic reflection by providing “climate” technical expertise. We are currently finalising the mechanism to make this climate finance window operational. The launch is scheduled for 2020.

This should contribute to addressing the challenge of financing the ecological transition: according to the diagnostic conducted in the context of GCCA+, over USD 340bn are required for the period 2015-2030 for the implementation of the climate commitments.

You mention the financing required for the achievement of the climate commitments. What are the other main needs identified for West Africa?

Alain Sy Traoré: The diagnostic conducted in the context of the GCCA+ programme (available opposite) is the only reference document on this subject and identifies four priority subjects for our 15 Member States. The first is therefore the issue of mobilising both public and private financing. The other three involve:

 • More effectively communicating on and popularising “climate” issues: the “Nationally Determined Contributions” (NDCs) are still only for insiders, whereas the subject should be known and grasped by all, starting with policy-makers.

 • Strengthening tools to monitor the implementation of the climate commitments: it is necessary to be able to collect information to report on our progress, with the objective of transparency and accountability.

 • Building research and scientific production capacities in the region: we have researchers (engineers, agronomists, etc.) who could, with appropriate support, provide feedback on robust data from field observations.

GCCA+ supports the regional effort for the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. Why is the regional level relevant in the fight against climate change?

Alain Sy Traoré: First of all, it should be remembered that ECOWAS is a free trade and free movement area: in return, community law has primacy over the laws of Member States, and it has a direct effect. This gives strength to regional regulations in the climate field: when ECOWAS legislates, it applies to everyone and immediately.

Furthermore, ECOWAS has the capacity to help its Member States, particularly the most vulnerable. For example, when a country is faced with a natural disaster, the first gateway is ECOWAS, which can provide financial assistance to the affected State.

Finally, more fundamentally, the impacts of climate change are by nature cross-border. One example, which concerns agriculture, is armyworms. These inspect pests appeared in West Africa due to climate change and the moths can circulate over several thousand kilometres. It consequently no longer concerns a single country: regional intervention is more effective, through the coordination and definition of common responses.

How does ECOWAS operate?

Alain Sy Traoré: Four principles guide our action: subsidiarity, complementarity, cooperation and solidarity. The first is particularly important: we do not do what countries do better alone. The regional level intervenes to create economies of scale by pooling efforts.

For example, ECOWAS can mobilise financial resources for multi-country projects. Some donors do not finance projects below certain financial thresholds: this penalises small countries which are not able to manage initiatives above a certain amount. By going through the regional level, this problem disappears.

We also promote exchanges between States and the coherence of national policies. This may involve creating platforms for exchanges of good practices and supporting the implementation at national level of rules set by ECOWAS – for example, in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Finally, ECOWAS can provide strong political leadership. As a regional organisation, we facilitate the reconciliation of the points of views of States faced with different issues – a Sahelian country and a coastal country, an oil-producing and non-producing country… Even if we still have a long way to go, we are gradually building a common understanding of issues, and a regional response. The GCCA+ project strengthens our capacities to take on this leading role as a regional institution.