CLIMATE–HEALTH SYNERGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA [current concerns 2-019]

 

18 October 2025 / current concerns 2-019

 

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CLIMATE–HEALTH SYNERGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

 

by Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje, FAHOA

 

 +2348034725905 (WhatsApp) / EMAIL: druzoadirieje2015@gmail.com

 CEO/Programmes Director, Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA) – CSOs Network and Think-tank

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INTRODUCTION

 

Sustainable development in Africa depends fundamentally on the capacity to build synergies between climate action and health systems. Climate change exacerbates health risks, but it also offers an opening: by aligning climate mitigation, adaptation, and health goals, African countries can make progress toward multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) simultaneously. These synergies are not theoretical — they are already being leveraged in pockets across the continent, and scaling them is essential if Africa is to meet its development ambitions by 2030 and beyond.

 

THE STAKES: WHY SYNERGIES MATTER

 

Climate change is affecting health via multiple pathways: increased heat stress, spread of vector-borne diseases, more frequent extreme weather, compromised water and food security, and growing mental health burdens. These impacts undermine progress on SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 13 (climate action), and others. When climate and health policies operate in isolation, opportunities for co-benefits are lost.

 

For instance, cleaner energy initiatives (reducing indoor air pollution) can improve respiratory health. Improved water management and sanitation reduce waterborne disease and drought vulnerability. Early warning systems for extreme weather can protect lives and health infrastructure. These co-benefits often yield better returns on investment than siloed interventions.

 

EMERGING INITIATIVES IN AFRICA

 

Regional plans combining health and climate

Experts working with the Clim-HEALTH Africa consortium have developed plans to strengthen resilient health systems that are climate adapted. These plans involve evidence-based climate-informed health planning, forecasting, surveillance, and workforce development in the health sector.

 

Similarly, eight countries in Southern Africa (including Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, and Madagascar) have embarked on a WHO-backed initiative to build emergency preparedness and response systems that respond to climate-related health threats — including early warning, diagnostics, and lab capacities.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH STRATEGIES: The WHO African Region has adopted a “Regional Strategy for the Management of Environmental Determinants of Human Health in the African Region 2022–2032.” It aims to integrate actions across health, environment, climate adaptation and mitigation; reinforcing the Libreville Declaration’s call for multisectoral collaboration.

 

HEALTH INEQUALITIES IN ‘SADC’ REGION: Recent research in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region shows that climate change is amplifying health inequalities: waterborne and vector-borne diseases are increasing where infrastructure is weak, and low-income communities suffer more. This kind of research underscores where synergies are most needed — combining climate adaptation (e.g. water security, flood management) with public health interventions.

 

CLIMATE-RESILIENT CARE SYSTEMS: The Brookings Institution has emphasized the urgent need for health care infrastructure that is resilient to climate stress — for instance, ensuring clinics have reliable power, clean water, sanitation, and that services can be delivered under extreme weather. These foundational investments support multiple SDGs: health, gender equality (since women often bear extra caregiving burdens), poverty reduction, and clean energy access.

 

FINANCING INNOVATIONS: Africa is exploring new financing models to shield communities from climate-driven health crises. A WHO/AECF workshop in Nairobi pursued funding mechanisms that embed resilience, equity, and innovation into health systems — for example, linking climate risk financing with health system strengthening.

 

PATHWAYS TO STRENGTHENING CLIMATE-HEALTH SYNERGIES

 

To maximize these synergies across Africa, the following pathways are particularly important:

a. Policy integration and multisectoral planning: Health ministries must partner closely with environment, agriculture, water, energy, and disaster risk reduction sectors. Climate and health strategies should not be add-ons, but integral portions of national development plans and SDG implementation frameworks.

b. Investment in resilient infrastructure: Clinics, hospitals, and health service delivery points need resilient infrastructure: clean water, sanitation, reliable electricity (ideally from renewable sources), cooling/ventilation for heat, flood-proofing, etc. This reduces vulnerability of health services themselves, while improving patient care.

c. Community and local systems engagement: Local communities understand climate-health risks best. Empowering them through participatory planning, early warning, and control of local environmental determinants (e.g. vector control, water safety) ensures responses are responsive and sustainable.

d. Data, surveillance, and forecasting: Climate-health synergies require evidence. Expanding climate-sensitive disease surveillance, combining meteorological data with health information systems, modelling vulnerabilities, and mapping exposures are essential. This allows targeted interventions.

e. Innovative finance and resource mobilization: The gap in climate finance for Africa remains large. Prioritizing blended finance, climate-health risk insurance, micro-financing, and ensuring funding streams are accessible at local levels will help. Also, leveraging international climate funds for health adaptation is crucial.

f. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning: Tracking progress on health outcomes, equity, resilience, and the co-benefits of climate-health interventions is needed. Learning across countries and regions helps avoid reinventing the wheel, and helps scale what works.

 

IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 

By aligning climate-health synergies, Africa can accelerate progress across many SDGs:

a. SDG 3 (Health & Well-being): Reduced mortality and morbidity from climate-sensitive diseases; stronger health systems.

b. SDG 1 & 2 (Poverty & Hunger): More resilient food systems and nutrition, less loss of livelihood from climate shocks.

c. SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation): Better water security, improved sanitation reducing disease burden.

d. SDG 7 (Affordable, Clean Energy): Cleaner cookstoves, renewable power for health facilities, reduced indoor air pollution.

e. SDG 13 & 15 (Climate Action & Life on Land): Through adaptation and mitigation, preserving ecosystems that protect health (forests, wetlands), reducing emissions, making health systems more climate resilient.

These are not additive benefits; they multiply. For example, a health centre powered by solar energy reduces GHG emissions, secures uninterrupted health services during power outages (as caused by storms or grid failures), and improves maternal and newborn health by enabling services 24/7.

 

CHALLENGES AND CONSIDERATIONS

 

i. Financing gaps and competing priorities: Many governments have tight budgets; health and climate budgets compete with other urgent needs.

ii. Capacity constraints: Skills, infrastructure, technical capacity in many local health systems remain weak.

iii. Data limitations: Climate-sensitive health data are often sparse or poorly integrated across sectors.

iv. Equity issues: The poorest, marginalized, rural, women, youth are most affected and often least able to access services. Any synergies must prioritize these groups.

 

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 

For Africa, climate-health synergies are not optional — they are essential for sustainable development. By weaving together climate resilience and health system strengthening, African countries can leverage each investment for multiple gains including better health, reduced vulnerability to climate shocks, and faster progress toward the SDGs. To achieve these, it is recommended that deliberate policy and programmatic efforts be concentrated in achieving sustainable integrated policies, resilient infrastructure, community engagement, innovative financing, and strong monitoring. The opportunity is vast, but so is the responsibility. The choices we make today will determine whether Africa meets the global SDG targets, her regional Agenda 2063 targets, and protects the health and wellbeing of its future generations of Africans.

 

 

About this Writer: 

Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje is an environmental health researcher with Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA), focused on linking ecosystem health and human well-being in Nigeria. He is a global health practitioner, development expert, and civil society leader whose work sits at the critical nexus of biodiversity, health, and climate change. He serves as the CEO of AHOA, a pan-African and global South civil society network advancing sustainable development through advocacy, policy dialogue, and grassroots interventions. With over two decades of experience, Dr. Adirieje has championed the understanding that biodiversity is essential for human health - supporting food security, disease regulation, clean water, and resilient livelihoods. His leadership promotes integrated approaches that address environmental degradation, climate change, and poverty simultaneously. Through AHOA, he leads multi-country initiatives on climate change, ecosystem restoration, renewable energy, universal health coverage, and climate-smart agriculture, while advocating for stronger governance and inclusive community participation. At national, regional, and global levels, Dr. Adirieje engages with governments, international organizations, and civil society to drive policies linking health and environment. His work underscores that safeguarding biodiversity is not only an ecological necessity but also a cornerstone of global health and sustainable development in Africa and the Global South.