Torrential rainfall has left several communities across Nigeria, Ghana and much of West Africa submerged, with residents counting losses as floodwaters ravage homes, roads and businesses.
The BBC reports that at least 13 people have died in Ghana’s
capital, Accra, after intense rain resulted in severe flooding.
The government has asked people to stay indoors or move to
higher grounds.
According to the report, “flooding in Accra is exacerbated
by a poor drainage system, including clogged gutters and the construction of
illegal structures on waterways”.
Ghana’s President John Mahama said the 140 millimetres of
rainfall is the highest experienced in the country in several years.
“That aspect of the problem is beyond our control because it
is driven by changing climatic conditions,” Mahama said on X.
Videos shared online showed residents stranded on rooftops
and perched on fences as floodwaters swept through neighbourhoods, while some
areas experienced power outages.
Similarly, persistent heavy rainfall has triggered flooding
in parts of Lomé, Togo’s capital, affecting several communities as the downpour
continues.
At least 12 people have died and five others sustained
injuries in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire’s economic capital, following relentless
rainfall.
Africa, despite contributing the least to global greenhouse
gas emissions, remains among the regions most vulnerable to climate change.
The continent is experiencing increasingly frequent and
intense extreme weather events, including floods, droughts, heatwaves and
coastal erosion, with devastating consequences for livelihoods, food security
and infrastructure.
Climate experts say adaptation finance is urgently needed to
help African countries strengthen drainage systems, climate-proof
infrastructure, improve early warning systems and build resilience among
vulnerable communities.
However, efforts to scale up global adaptation support
remain sluggish.
At the UN climate talks in Bonn earlier this month,
negotiators were unable to conclude discussions on a new global adaptation
finance framework, leaving critical issues unresolved ahead of the COP31
summit.
While African countries wanted concrete financial
commitments of tripling adaptation finance, developed countries preferred to
discuss metrics and reporting systems.
The slow pace of negotiations has raised concerns among
developing countries, particularly African nations, which continue to demand
increased and predictable funding for adaptation measures.
As floodwaters continue to rise across parts of West Africa,
Europe is also battling extreme heat, with temperatures soaring above 40°C in
several countries.
Without significant investments in climate adaptation and
resilient infrastructure, extreme weather events could inflict even heavier
social and economic costs on the continent.
NIGERIA FLOODS
Videos circulating on social media show several streets
across Nigerian cities transformed into rivers, with vehicles trapped in
floodwaters and residents wading through waist-deep water to salvage
belongings.
In Lagos, motorists were stranded for hours as major roads
became impassable following intense downpour. Similar scenes were recorded in
parts of Ogun, Oyo and Osun states, where flooded roads disrupted movement and
commercial activities.
Some residents in Lagos who spoke to TheCable said they are
yet to reopen their shops with floodwaters yet to recede.
Another resident, who identified himself as James, said his
family had to raise their mattress throughout the night to prevent it from
being soaked.
“We barely slept last night. My home was flooded, and we had
to raise our mattress so it wouldn’t soak up water,” he said.
Lagos’ vulnerability to flooding is further exacerbated by
rapid urbanisation, indiscriminate housing development and extensive land
reclamation activities.
In many parts of the state, wetlands and natural floodplains
that once absorbed excess rainwater have been replaced by residential estates,
commercial buildings and infrastructure projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal
road project.
The flooding also affected parts of Abia, Cross River and
Delta states, where overflowing drains and sustained rainfall submerged
residential areas and cut off access to some communities.
The latest incidents have renewed concerns over Nigeria’s
perennial flooding crisis despite repeated warnings by meteorological and
hydrological agencies.
Earlier this year, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency
(NiMet), in its 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), warned that many parts
of the country would experience above-normal rainfall, prolonged rainy seasons
and increased flood risks.
NiMet also cautioned that flash floods could occur in
several southern states, including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta and Cross River.
Similarly, the federal government, through the Nigeria
Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), warned in its 2026 annual flood outlook
that 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are at risk of flooding
during the rainy season.
The outlook identified more than 14,000 communities across
266 local government areas as high-risk zones, with flooding expected to peak
between July and September.
States such as Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Abia, Cross River and
Delta were listed among areas vulnerable to severe flooding.
In 2025, severe flooding in Nigeria claimed more than 200
lives and affected over 500,000 people across 27 states.
These are not mere data; they represent lives lost, families
displaced, livelihoods destroyed, and communities struggling to recover from
yet another climate disaster.
The Lagos state government says it cannot completely
eradicate flooding in the state, citing climate change, rising sea levels,
rapid urbanisation, and decades of development on wetlands.
Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for environment and water
resources, said while flooding can be significantly mitigated, it would be
unrealistic to promise its total elimination because Lagos is a coastal city
facing increasingly complex environmental challenges.
Wahab noted that the state government would continue to
adopt proactive measures, including investing in drainage infrastructure,
enforcing physical planning regulations, unclogging drainage channels, and
deploying data and science to strengthen flood management strategies.
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