The Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament on Monday opened its Second Parliamentary Seminar of the year 2026 in Accra, Republic of Ghana.
The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, H.E. Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, in her introductory remarks, said she was pleased to join members to open proceedings of the seminar.
She explained that the joint solemn opening of the extraordinary session and the parliamentary seminar, originally scheduled for Sunday, will take place tomorrow.
According to her, the shift should in no way diminish the usefulness and importance of the day, which gives the parliamentarians the opportunity to get straight down to work.
The Speaker noted that September 21 carries special resonance in Ghana as the country celebrates Founder’s Day, a date that coincides with the birth of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
“Gathered here in Accra, we cannot let this occasion pass without recalling the man whose fight for Ghana’s independence was inseparable from a far greater ambition: that of a free, united Africa, able to take charge of its own destiny,” she said.
“On this day of commemoration, I would like us to pause to stand with the people of Ghana and honour the memory of this illustrious African figure. I invite us to observe a minute of silence,” she added, after which a minute of silence was observed.
Speaking on the theme of the seminar, the Speaker said climate disruption can no longer be measured only in degrees, statistics or projections.
“It is read in land that yields less, in coastlines that retreat, in flooded neighbourhoods, in families losing their livelihoods, and in communities forced to relocate,” she stated.
She said behind the climate question lies a profoundly human one.
“Behind the climate question lies a profoundly human one: how do we protect the living conditions, dignity and security of our populations when their environment is changing faster than their capacity to adapt to it?” she asked.
“Our responsibility during this Seminar will be precisely to connect these realities, not to restate here what we already know, but to better understand what is at stake in our territories and to consider the most appropriate responses,” Ibrahima said.
She said the expertise that will be shared should inform discussions but must also meet the experience of parliamentarians, who remain in close contact with their territories and their people.
“It is from this dialogue between technical knowledge and lived realities that truly useful proposals can emerge,” she noted.
The Speaker urged members to focus on substance.
“Tomorrow we will have time for solemnity. Today, let us choose substance, listening and work. It is in this spirit that I invite us to get straight to the heart of our work,” she said.