Climate variability is deeply rooted within West African society. The 1930-1960 wet period, the 1970-1980 droughts and the return of rainfall in the 1990s and the 2000s illustrate this clearly and have demonstrated the population’s vulnerability, in particular in the Sahel zone. The climate changes analysed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicate the future trends likely to develop at the global and African levels : rising temperature, rising sea levels, changes in the level and variability of rainfall, etc. They create new challenges and risks, but also provide new opportunities for the African continent. 24 p. Pdf. 4.84 Mo.