In Africa’s coastal communities, climate disasters are not just environmental events—they are socio-economic and cultural disruptions that threaten the very fabric of life. From floods swallowing farmlands to coastal erosion destroying homes and livelihoods, these communities live on the frontline of climate change. However, while governments and international organisations dominate climate policy conversations, the first responders are not policymakers—they are the women who anchor these communities.
Women Hold the Knowledge the World Overlooks
Women in coastal Africa play indispensable roles as fish processors, traders, farmers, and caregivers. Their work depends on intimate knowledge of the rhythms of the sea, seasonal shifts, and evolving fish populations. This practical wisdom, passed down through generations, forms a crucial but underappreciated climate intelligence system.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), women represent over 50% of the workforce in small-scale fisheries and related industries in sub-Saharan Africa. Their understanding of ecosystem shifts directly informs how communities adapt to environmental change. Yet, according to the African Development Bank’s Gender Strategy (2021-2025), this expertise is rarely acknowledged in formal climate governance, leaving critical knowledge outside of policy frameworks.
The Cultural Loss No One Measures
When coastal villages disappear underwater, the loss extends beyond physical space—it erases cultural heritage, traditional knowledge systems, and Indigenous ecological practices. Songs sung while fishing, seasonal ceremonies tied to planting cycles, and ancestral wisdom about tides vanish alongside submerged lands.
A 2022 UNESCO report highlights that climate-induced displacement often severs communities from their cultural roots, making adaptation harder. The loss of cultural identity amplifies social fragmentation and weakens collective resilience. This connection between cultural erosion and climate vulnerability is also confirmed by research on Climatic Change, which links cultural displacement to psychological distress and diminished adaptive capacity. millions in Climate Finance—But Coastal Women See Almost Nothing
Despite the billions pledged globally to support climate resilience in vulnerable communities, less than 10% of climate finance reaches grassroots women’s groups in Africa. This funding bypasses those who are already driving locally relevant, nature-based solutions—restoring mangroves, transitioning to climate-smart fisheries, and introducing renewable energy technologies.
According to UN Women, only 3% of global climate finance explicitly addresses gender equality, and an even smaller share reaches local women’s organisations. The OECD DAC Network on Gender Equality confirms in a report that gender-responsive climate action remains underfunded, overly bureaucratic, and poorly aligned with local needs.
What Needs to Change
1. Direct Funding for Women-Led Solutions
International climate funds must bypass traditional bureaucracies and provide direct access to finance for grassroots women’s groups driving innovative climate responses in their own communities.
2. Redefining Resilience Metrics
Adaptation and resilience must be measured not just by physical infrastructure rebuilt after disasters, but by the preservation of cultural identity, knowledge systems, and social cohesion—the true foundations of resilience.
3. Including Women in Climate Governance
Women’s exclusion from decision-making tables undermines the quality of climate policy. Coastal adaptation plans must centre women’s voices, ensuring that lived experiences, ecological knowledge, and community-rooted solutions inform regional and national strategies.
What RRN is doing:
We work to closely with women through our RRN’s Coastal Women Community Engagement Initiative to close these gaps by:
- Amplifying the voices of coastal women in climate governance platforms.
- Documenting and safeguarding indigenous climate knowledge as a climate resilience tool.
While this is not just a policy recommendation for us—it is our core approach. See what we’ve done: https://businessday.ng/climate-and-environment/article/ngo-urges-african-govts-to-involve-communities-in-climate-policy
It is Almost 2030: The World Must Catch Up
African women in coastal communities are not passive victims of climate change. They are knowledge holders, solution creators, and frontline responders. Yet they remain largely invisible in policy conversations and climate finance mechanisms. If climate action continues to overlook their leadership, it is not only unjust—it is dangerously incomplete.
How can we build climate resilience while ignoring those who know the land and sea best? The answer is simple: we can’t.
Stay tuned to learn more about our progress and endeavours. Following and subscribing to our letters at www.revamprave.org and all social platforms @rravenetwork
Happy International Women’s Day!