The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has taken a major step forward in strengthening disaster risk governance across the region. At the 6th Consultative Meeting of the Regional Committee for Disaster Management in West Africa (GECEAO), held in Accra on 20-22 May 2025, Member States formally endorsed a regional Recovery Roadmap—a strategic framework developed with the support of Sweden, through the UNDP Sahel Resilience Project.

The roadmap sets out short-, medium-, and long-term priorities to embed recovery preparedness into national and regional systems. It includes institutional, financial, and technical measures to strengthen post-disaster recovery, including the establishment of a regional roster of trained PDNA experts, post-disaster needs assessment training[1], and operational guidance.

Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, Head of the Disaster Risk Management Unit at the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted the region’s vulnerability:

“Over the past 25 years, disasters have caused economic losses exceeding one billion dollars in West Africa. With growing risks linked to environmental degradation, rapid urbanization, and climate change, Member States must prioritize humanitarian assistance and invest in resilience-building programmes in collaboration with partners.”

The roadmap’s endorsement builds on a year-long process of regional assessments and technical consultations, including a mid-term review held in Abuja in September 2024. The Accra meeting provided a platform for ECOWAS Member States to assess national progress, align efforts, and agree on next steps for operationalizing both the Recovery Roadmap and the Regional Resilience Strategy for West Africa, adopted in 2024. 

Speaking at the World Resilient Recovery Conference in Geneva, held ahead of the 8^th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (2–6 June 2025), Dr. Sintiki Tarfa-Ugbe, Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs at the ECOWAS Commission, underscored the significance of the Recovery Roadmap: