IOM draws attention to climate change-induced mobility

By Ernest Bako WUBONTO

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has underscored the need for climate change-induced mobility to be integrated into urban planning – ensuring cities remain resilient, inclusive and sustainable in the face of environmental disruptions.

The IOM’s newest reports indicated that climate change is reshaping migration patterns, especially in urban areas where people move due to floods, drought, heatwaves and other climate-related shocks.

This mobility, whether temporary or permanent, demands urban planning that anticipates and accommodates these shifts.

In a pilot project within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), IOM aims to bring this vision to life. The project envisions Accra being a city that recognises mobility as a legitimate adaptation strategy, empowers residents to choose whether to stay, move or rebuild, aligns local governance with rights-based climate resilience and establishes the city as a model for inclusive urban adaptation in West Africa.

Project Manager-IOM Eric Kwame Akomanyi explained that the pilot project aims to identify the climate-mobility nexus and gather data which inform decision-making by city planners within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

He emphasised in a presentation that managing climate mobility requires coordinated urban planning, institutional strengthening, data-driven evidence and dedicated resources.

“From the study, one thing that came up strongly was issues around data. It is a problem for every planner that we need to build a body of evidence to provide a targetted response. So, definitely, we are going to focus more on building a database that will factor issues of climate change, gender dimensions and seasonal mobility,” he said.

He reiterated that future policies must integrate migration as a legitimate adaptation strategy, strengthen financial mechanisms and ensure inclusion for vulnerable populations – key recommendations from the report.

It also includes incorporating urban planning and migration management as core aspects of climate resilience, considering the sustainable relocation of populations from high-risk zones and prioritising the development of data systems to monitor internal mobility patterns linked to climate impacts.

Mr. Akomanyi highlighted that a holistic approach also necessitates integrating sectors like water management and agriculture to address mobility trends, alongside establishing dedicated funding mechanisms within international climate finance frameworks aligned with the principle of climate justice.

He made these remarks at a media briefing in Accra after the Africa Climate Summit 2 (ACS2) on the topic ‘Strengthening the Capacity of the City of Accra, to Manage Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change’.

The IOM intervention, among others, seeks to deliver foundational training to city authority staff-workshops on the climate-mobility nexus, gender-sensitive planning and trauma-informed relocation procedures; make gender and mobility modules part of onboarding and professional development programmes; facilitate south-south learning exchanges; expand the mandate of AMA’s Migrant Desk to capture climate-linked migration patterns; enhance service delivery; and coordinate with the planning and disaster risk units

Migrant Desk Officer-AMA Sampson Asamoah Okyere indicated that the AMA has now set up a migrant desk that is gathering segregated data on various reasons for migrations.

The AMA will institutionalise a multi-stakeholder coordination platform on climate mobility, bringing together technical departments, community leaders and development partners for joint planning and accountability. It will also establish a City-Level Coordination Platform and form a multistakeholder body (AMA, NADMO, EPA, NDPC, MoGCSP, IOM, CSOs) to convene quarterly, share data and coordinate responses.

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