BAMAKO: An international conference on climate change opened on Tuesday in Niamey, the capital of Niger, a West African nation.
The three-day event addresses climate-related challenges such as floods and food insecurity that impact nearly 28 million people across the Sahel region and West Africa.
Keda Ballah, Chad’s Minister of Agricultural Production and Industrialization, chaired the conference’s inaugural session.
The meeting brings together experts from the member countries of the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS). They are convening to discuss the increasing frequency of extreme climate events and the associated disaster risks in the region.
“There is a noticeable rise in extreme climate events, particularly devastating floods, as well as worsening food and nutritional insecurity affecting nearly 28 million people in the Sahel and West Africa,” Ballah stated.
While adaptation strategies have been identified, Ballah noted significant gaps in their implementation. He highlighted deficiencies in incorporating adaptation and resilience measures into public policy and planning and a lack of technological adaptation capacity and external resource mobilization.
Established in 1973 in response to severe droughts in the Sahel, CILSS includes 13 member states and focuses on food security and the sustainable management of natural resources.
