Abstract/Summary

This report provides an analysis of the current and future climate risks for the West African region, as well as an analysis of their impacts in the medium- to long-term. This information is aligned with national priorities that can be used to influence the programming of Official Development Assistance (ODA) resources. The synthesis report highlights the areas where ODA resources might need to be focused in the future for climate resilient socio-economic development to occur. This analysis is intended to inform the CDD process by providing information on potential climate risks and impacts and how these might interact with broader development initiatives. To support DFID country offices in their preparation of Country Development Diagnostics (CDD), DFID has commissioned a team of scientists to outline relevant climate risks and impacts to help build the case for mainstreaming climate change into future planning. The scope of work comprises three components to deliver user-friendly information on climate risks to development in DFID target countries. A collection of regional and national climate profiles (Component 1) and regionally significant climate impact indicators (Component 2) have been collated and developed to inform seven regional synthesis reports (Component 3) for the Middle East and North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, South and Central Africa, South and Central Asia, East and Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean. This report summarises the current and future climate risks, provides an overview of relevant impact indicators, and distills these into a qualitative analysis of impacts to address in the medium- to long-term to limit or avoid climate risks to development.