New African Desk Focuses on Climate and Health Impacts

The African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), has launched the first Africa Climate-Health Desk. The initiative aims to translate climate and weather information into actionable health protection measures across the continent.

The new desk seeks to provide timely climate intelligence to health authorities, hospitals, communities, and decision-makers, addressing the increasing threat of extreme heat and other climate-related health hazards.

Desk Establishment and Global Context

The Africa Climate-Health Desk is a specialized unit hosted at ACMAD in Niamey, Niger. It represents the first regional initiative of its kind in Africa and the second globally, following the launch of the South Asia Climate-Health Desk. The program is supported by the WHO-WMO Joint Programme, with funding from Wellcome and The Rockefeller Foundation.

Addressing Information Gaps

Limited availability, access, and utilization of weather and climate information for health planning and prevention have historically been challenges in Africa. The Africa Climate-Health Desk is designed to bridge this gap between climate science and public health decision-making.

Capacity Building and Tailored Information

The desk will focus on scaling up capacity, fostering partnerships, and providing tailored climate information. This includes impact-based early warnings that signal potential health threats from extreme weather events, facilitating earlier and more effective prevention and response strategies.

Expected Outcomes

The initiative aims to improve communication and collaboration between climate and health communities. The goal is to equip local leaders with actionable guidance during severe weather events, empower families to protect themselves, and provide health workers with timely alerts for effective responses, ultimately leading to earlier warnings, improved planning, clearer advice, and faster local action.