African universities are stepping into a leadership role in the global climate and health agenda through a new £60 million initiative aimed at developing locally driven solutions to protect communities from the growing health impacts of climate change.
The programme, backed by the global health foundation Wellcome, will establish regional research consortiums led by African academic institutions to generate scientific evidence and policy strategies tailored to the continent’s unique environmental and public health challenges.
An initial £40 million investment will support two research hubs in West and Southern Africa, while an additional £20 million has been earmarked for a third consortium to be established in East Africa. Together, the hubs will form a continent-wide network focused on transforming climate and health research into practical policies that safeguard vulnerable populations.
Unlike many global research programmes historically led from outside the continent, the initiative places African universities at the forefront of designing and implementing climate-health strategies.
The Southern Africa hub will be hosted at University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. Researchers there will focus on extreme heat risks in South Africa and Zimbabwe, as well as the health consequences of severe flooding in countries such as Malawi. Scientists aim to address the barriers that limit access to healthcare during climate-related disasters while generating evidence to guide public health responses.
In West Africa, the second consortium will be led by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. The research will examine environmental hazards common in the region, including prolonged droughts, dust storms, and heat waves, phenomena that are increasingly affecting food security, livelihoods, and public health systems.
Both hubs will run five-year, multi-country programmes designed to translate research findings into actionable policy recommendations for governments and health agencies.
The initiative comes as climate change intensifies health risks across Africa. Rising temperatures, air pollution, flooding, and food insecurity are already contributing to millions of deaths globally each year and are placing growing strain on fragile healthcare systems across the continent.
Charlotte Watts, Executive Director of Solutions at Wellcome, said Africa is experiencing some of the most severe health consequences of climate change.
“Africa is on the frontline of climate change, with women and marginalized communities already suffering the worst health impacts,” she said in a statement announcing the programme.
Experts say stronger scientific evidence is urgently needed to guide policy decisions. Health leaders across the continent often make critical choices with limited resources and limited local data.
Adelheid Onyango of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa emphasized the importance of context-specific research in shaping effective public health responses.
“Health leaders across Africa make vital decisions with limited resources, so having access to rigorous, context-relevant evidence is essential,” she said.
Beyond research, the consortiums will connect scientists with policymakers, health officials, and community partners to ensure findings translate into real-world action. The goal is to close the gap between climate science and health policy, enabling governments to respond more effectively to emerging environmental threats.
By bringing together interdisciplinary experts, from public health specialists to climate scientists, the programme aims to develop integrated strategies that strengthen resilience across sectors.
Plans are also underway to launch a third consortium in East Africa, supported by an additional £20 million investment. While the host institution has yet to be selected, the hub is expected to further expand the continent’s collaborative research capacity on climate-related health challenges.
Together, the three consortiums represent one of the largest coordinated efforts to build African-led research infrastructure focused on the intersection of climate change and public health.
Photo courtesy / Google
Article by Jed Mwangi
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