With support from Research England, the Ministry of Health (Ghana), PACKS Africa, and the University of Southampton convened the West Africa Climate Change & Health Summit in Accra. The two-day event brought together policymakers, researchers, civil society leaders, and media actors from Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire to examine the growing intersection of climate change and public health in the region.
Recognised by the IPCC as a global climate hotspot, West Africa is already experiencing rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, severe flooding, and worsening food insecurity. The Summit provided a platform to review evidence, share national and regional perspectives, and identify priority actions for strengthened health systems and climate resilience.
Key discussions highlighted the urgency of:
- Strengthening data use across government agencies to inform climate–health decisions
- Building technical capacity through geospatial, communications, and cross-sector CPD training
- Enhancing collaboration between health institutions, academia, civil society, media, and local communities
- Expanding research on climate vulnerability, food insecurity, mental health, and the needs of displaced populations
- Investing in early warning systems, routine surveillance, and community-driven adaptation strategies
A follow-up roundtable refined these priorities into clear policy and research directions that will contribute to the Ministry of Health’s research agenda. Outputs from this Ghana-led collaboration will support long-term, locally grounded approaches to climate resilience in West Africa.