Africa Unites with Wellcome to Tackle Climate — Driven Health Crises. Johannesburg, South Africa — African universities and regional experts are collaborating with Wellcome, a leading organization supporting scientific advancements in health, to establish science and policy consortiums. These consortia aim to combat the escalating public health crisis exacerbated by climate change across the continent.
Wellcome has allocated £60 million to fund three new consortia, with £40 million designated for Southern and Western Africa, and an additional £20 million for Eastern Africa.
The University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana will lead the first two consortia, respectively.
The consortia will involve scientists, policymakers, and community partners to co — develop evidence-based solutions that reflect local priorities and can be rapidly translated into policy and practice.
The Southern Africa consortium will focus on heatwaves and floods, while the Western Africa consortium will address the impact of heatwaves, dust storms, and drought on health and nutrition. “Africa is on the frontline of climate change, with women and marginalised communities already suffering the worst health impacts,” said Professor Charlotte Watts, Executive Director, Solutions at Wellcome.
The initiative is a response to the continent’s growing vulnerability to climate-related health risks, including deadly heatwaves, air pollution, worsening nutrition, and threats to maternal and newborn health.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, Africa is warming faster than the global average, leading to increased occurrences of droughts, floods, and climate disasters affecting over 110 million people in 2022.
The consortia will develop their own climate and health programmes based on core objectives to meet the needs of their populations within five years. This includes accelerating evidence-informed policy and action.
Further details are expected as the consortia progress, with the aim of saving lives and livelihoods on the continent.
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Source: [Science and policy experts unite to accelerate climate and health solutions — Wits University]( Wits. Ac.
Za/news/latest-news/research-news/2026/2026-03/science-and-policy-experts-unite-to-accelerate-climate-and-health-solutions.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 4*
