Africa faces a profound and immediate climate-health emergency. Climate related hazards accounted for over 56% of public health emergencies on the continent between 2001 and 2021, deepening systemic health inequities, driving malnutrition, and stressing fragile healthcare infrastructure. The 2024 Africa State of Evidence Report is a clear call to action, revealing that adaptation efforts are severely hampered by siloed data, fragmented policies, and critical underfunding (less than 5% of climate finance currently targets health adaptation).
This brief outlines a clear pathway for resilience, urging Heads of State, finance institutions, and development partners to adopt a Health-First Climate Policy Paradigm. We recommend immediate, high-impact action across three pillars: Systemic Integration and Data Mandate, Catalytic Finance and Investment, and Localisation and Research Empowerment. Integrating climate and health is no longer an option, it is an economic and humanitarian imperative for achieving sustainable development and stability across the continent.
