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Climate change and extreme heat: A wake-up call for Africa

Feature Article Climate change and extreme heat: A wake-up call for Africa
WED, 15 JAN 2025

It is widely acknowledged that the African continent feels the brunt of the climate change crisis in the world as the continent experiences a warming trend which is more rapid and higher than the global average, culminating in prolonged droughts, deadly heatwaves, tropical cyclones and heavy rains (credit: World Meteorological Organisation [WMO], 2024). Sadly, the WMO further warns that the record-breaking heat experienced last year is likely to continue in the continent this year, leading to catastrophic health consequences, if necessary action is not taken.

An issue worth stressing about the health impact of the climate change menace in Africa is the dearth of research and data. There is no doubt that some studies have been conducted on the issues. However, they are a drop in the ocean compared to the devastating impact climate change wreaks on health in the continent. The preponderance of research and data goes a long way in helping demystify knowledge on phenomena. This implies that the lack of research and data on the health impact of the menace in Africa hampers knowledge on the issues and how best to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies in stemming the tide of the health impact of the menace. As such, scholars, analysts, governments and think-tanks must, as a matter of urgency, shift their attention to the health impact of climate change. That is, providing an avalanche of research and data on the health impact of the menace in Africa will go a long way to help in making extrapolations, estimations and deductions, immensely useful in devising the appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies of ameliorating the health impact of the menace in the continent. This will benefit the entire human race, as controlling the impact of the menace in one continent produces positive effects globally.

Another intractable issue that needs utmost deliberation is funding. It is crystal clear that funding from the developed world to help the developing world ameliorate the devastating impact associated with the menace is limited. But that does not mean African leaders should throw their hands up in despair. Despite the disproportionately high cost of adaptation of African countries, estimated around US$ 30-50 billion annually (credit: WMO), our leaders ought to understand that employing adaptation strategies towards the menace is a laudable exercise, since it can save us from its health impact. Therefore, our leaders need to commit wholeheartedly to the provision of such high level of funding, if not more. Enough of spending on useless and needless ventures just to accede to the caprices of voters.

Furthermore, policy frameworks in addressing the health impact of the menace have been ineffective at best and non-existent at worst. In this generation where almost all countries are striving to implement policies that would reduce the health impact of the menace, Ghana, Nigeria, Somalia and other countries have either weak or non-existing policy frameworks on the menace and its health risks. That is a clear indication that those countries do not attach seriousness to fighting the impact of the menace. Leaders in Africa must improve the policy frameworks as a salubrious move to better provide knowledge and understanding in ameliorating the health impact of the menace. African leaders must develop, implement and strengthen appropriate strategies that focus on the dissemination of information regarding best mitigation and adaptation practices to curtail the onslaught of the menace. That can prove enormously helpful in fighting the menace in other regions of the world outside Africa, since other countries can also employ those strategies.

The above discussions point to the fact that although we can experience record-breaking heat in Africa this year, due to climate change, leading to devastating health impact, the situation can still be salvaged. What we need to do is to be proactive in fighting it frontally.

Kwabena Aboagye-Gyan
([email protected])

Kwabena Aboagye-Gyan
Kwabena Aboagye-Gyan, © 2025

This Author has 43 publications here on modernghana.comColumn: Kwabena Aboagye-Gyan

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