Imagine a world where the very air you breathe and the lands you till are turning against you, unleashing a cascade of illnesses that were once rare or nonexistent— that's the harsh reality facing Africa today, and it's all tied to the climate crisis. This isn't just alarmist talk; it's a unfolding story of ecosystems unraveling, creating pathways for diseases that threaten lives, livelihoods, and entire communities. But here's where it gets controversial: is this a natural evolution, or a wake-up call to humanity's role in exacerbating these changes? Stick around, because the details might surprise you—and challenge your views on how we tackle global challenges.
This piece is supported by the One Health Hub (https://www.cabi.org/one-health-hub/), an initiative exploring the intersections of human, animal, and environmental health.
Climate disruptions are fundamentally altering ecosystems, paving the way for novel disease transmissions throughout Africa, as explained by Albert Ansah.
[ACCRA, SciDevNet] Picture Martin Ariku strolling through the remnants of his previously bountiful farms in Bazua, situated in Ghana's Upper East region in the north. His emotions are a potent blend of shock and acceptance.
For over twenty years, Ariku has been distributing enhanced seeds to countless small-scale farmers, relying on the reliability of nature—timely seasons, dependable crop maturation, and weather that, though not perfect, stayed within predictable limits.
This season shattered all expectations.
“We've lost over half our farmland,” Ariku shares.
“Areas that used to be scorching and arid, with infrequent floods, now see increased precipitation. These fresh accumulations of motionless water serve as perfect incubators for mosquito larvae.”
Shauna Richards, an expert in One Health and Epidemiology at the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi, elaborates on this phenomenon.
For staples like maize, rice, cowpea, soybean, and sorghum, yields plummeted to as few as five 100-kilogram sacks per acre, a stark contrast to the typical fifteen.
The year unfolded with relentless extremes: Premature droughts scorched nascent plants before they could establish, followed by fierce, brief downpours that submerged survivors.
Even the resilient sorghum strain introduced by SNV Ghana, engineered for harsher climates, couldn't endure these sudden fluctuations.
“The crop was just reaching maturity when the showers ceased,” Ariku recounts. “We salvaged absolutely nothing.”
These setbacks ripple outward. Grains that don't fully develop can't function as seeds, jeopardizing the upcoming planting cycle across the area.
Beyond the immediate effects of severe weather, ecological upheavals are amplifying the spread of harmful insects like the Fall Armyworm, previously restrained by cooler temperatures.
With evenings heating up and precipitation shifting, the Fall Armyworm endures longer and proliferates rapidly. Ariku describes relentless applications of pesticides on his fields, yet the invaders persist.
Invasive pest challenges
Ariku's ordeal aligns with insights from a comprehensive study (https://www.invasive-species.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/FAW-Evidence-Note-October-2018.pdf) conducted by CABI, the agricultural research body behind SciDev.Net. In Ghana and Zambia, nearly all surveyed farmers—98 percent—reported Fall Armyworm infestations in their maize.
Ghanaian growers lost an average of 26.6 percent of their maize crops, while Zambian figures hit 35 percent. Researchers estimate annual damages at US$177 million in Ghana and US$159 million in Zambia for maize alone.
Army worms devouring maize. Copyright: Albert Oppong-Ansah / SciDev.Net
Experts caution that escalating heat speeds up the pest's metabolism and breeding, fueling its growth across the continent.
Copperfield Banini, formerly leading the Plant Protection Regulatory Services Division at Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture and now technical advisor on plant health and marketing at Ghana Chemicals Limited, affirms to SciDev.Net that the evidence is unequivocal: climate shifts are igniting pest epidemics.
“Rising warmth boosts Fall Armyworm numbers. As ectotherms, their metabolic and growth rates quicken in heat. They mature faster, survive longer, and breed prolifically,” he details.
“Cold snaps hinder or eliminate them, but warming expands their territory.”
International forecasts (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395396766GlobalClimateSuitabilityandEconomicRisksoftheFallArmywormSpodopterafrugiperdatoKeyCropsin_Brazil) indicate that over the next decades, as global temperatures climb, the Fall Armyworm's suitable range will broaden across Africa.
Health implications for the public
This escalation in pest activity isn't merely a farming issue—it's a direct peril to public well-being. Families losing sustenance and earnings see their diets dwindle, leading to undernutrition that erodes immune defenses and heightens susceptibility to illnesses.
Shauna Richards, the Nairobi-based scientist, connects climate to disease by pointing to carriers like mosquitoes, flies, and tsetse flies, along with the microbes they carry.
“Mosquitoes thrive in moist environments,” she notes. “Zones formerly parched and seldom flooded now face heavier rains, forming stagnant pools perfect for mosquito reproduction.”
Floods compound this by contaminating clean water with waste, raising the specter of epidemics like cholera, Richards adds.
Climate shifts are also transforming plant life, as Richards explains. “Amplified rainfall in previously dry regions spurs excessive vegetation, offering fresh homes for insect vectors.”
“Populations unfamiliar with specific carriers now confront novel health dangers from altered climate patterns.”
Agricultural output is further strained by these changes, with erratic rains complicating planting decisions.
“Delays, absences, or excesses in precipitation lead to crop failures,” Richards clarifies.
“Starvation intensifies. Chronic hunger causes malnutrition, compromising immunity and elevating risks for both infectious and chronic ailments.”
Malaria's upward trend
In Ghana's southern Ashanti region, the Krampah household is grappling with another climate-induced shift.
It's 9 pm in Bekwai, and the oppressive warmth lingers. Evenings that provided respite now match the day's intensity.
“The heat is intense,” says Eric Krampah. “A basic fan can't offer relief.”
This extended warmth isn't just uncomfortable; it alters mosquito habits and viability, as they favor hot, stagnant settings.
The Krampahs report more frequent malaria cases, a pattern seen widely in Ghana.
Higher nighttime temperatures hasten mosquito reproduction and parasite maturation, boosting transmission rates.
“Since health insurance falls short, we've had to cover expenses out-of-pocket from our shrinking finances,” Krampah laments regarding rising treatment bills.
Household accounts across Ghana mirror data from the World Meteorological Organization and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCCAR6WGI_SPM.pdf), linking warming trends to increased malaria and other vector-borne diseases in Ghana and Africa at large.
Warming nights, abstract in reports, now directly propel illness.
Yet, mosquitoes represent just one facet of evolving disease risks.
Climate change is erasing ecological barriers that contained certain vectors and pathogens, Richards states.
“Increased moisture in dry areas fosters thick vegetation, providing new shelters for disease-spreading bugs,” she reiterates.
“Groups unaccustomed to particular vectors now encounter fresh threats from weather changes.”
In East Africa, the mosquito Anopheles stephensi, native to South Asia, has infiltrated urban spots like Nairobi, according to Patience Kiyuka, malaria coordinator at the East Africa Consortium for Clinical Research.
“Regions without prior malaria exposure will start seeing cases,” she warns.
“Mosquitoes are changing their feeding times,” she adds, forcing health officials to adapt tools like bed-nets and insecticides, traditionally for nighttime indoor use.
The Anopheles stephensi invasion risks urban malaria in unaffected areas, reshaping disease patterns in unprepared health infrastructures, Kiyuka explains.
Zoonotic transmissions
The widening disease spectrum encompasses zoonotic jumps—illnesses leaping from animals to people.
A prime climate-related instance is Rift Valley fever, a viral disease passing from livestock to humans. In East Africa, epidemics often trail heavy rains and floods.
Moist conditions explode mosquito numbers transmitting the virus among cattle, goats, and sheep, soon elevating human cases. With precipitation growing erratic, triggers for such events may become commonplace, positioning zoonotic spread as a mounting continental worry.
These trends echo findings from One Health Horizon Scanning research (https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/product/jk/one-health-horizon-scanning), illustrating how disruptions in plants, animals, and environments are remodeling Africa's disease terrain.
From this perspective, Africa's evolving climate spawns not isolated calamities, but linked ones: Harvest shortfalls worsen undernutrition, livestock stress heightens infection risks, and altered ecosystems birth new vector habitats spilling into human zones.
Ama Essel, a public-health doctor and Ghana's climate diplomat, highlights how these changes overburden already weak health services.
She points out that numerous clinics lack sturdy structures, steady power, vaccine refrigeration, or essential supplies.
“In Ghana, storms have torn roofs from medical centers, rendering them inoperable when locals need them urgently,” Essel shares.
“Floods isolate villages from clinics due to impassable roads.
“Expectant mothers may journey by motorbike or makeshift carriers because no alternatives exist to access care.”
Investing in One Health
These intertwined strains embody the warnings of the One Health Horizon Scanning report: Africa's health dangers defy separation into human, animal, or environmental silos.
Essel cautions that health systems will falter in preparing for surging outbreaks, novel infections, and climate-fueled pandemics.
Already, anomalies appear, like rising Mpox in Ghana and meningitis surges during dry Harmattan periods. Beyond physical ailments, repeated floods, displacements, and lost incomes spike mental health issues.
Essel urges African policymakers to act decisively: Fortify infrastructure, advance vaccines, and enhance transportation and energy for future health threats.
“We require ample resources to handle this extra load from weather shifts,” she stresses.
“The climate emergency won't pause, and we shouldn't either.”
This article was created by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English team.
The article was supported by the One Health Hub (https://www.cabi.org/one-health-hub/) managed by CABI with UK International Development funding; views here do not necessarily align with UK government positions.
And this is the part most people miss: While some argue that climate change is inevitable and adaptation is key, others contend that wealthy nations must shoulder more blame and funding for Africa's burdens. Is this a call for global solidarity, or does it risk diverting attention from local innovations? What do you think—should Africa prioritize international aid, or focus on homegrown solutions? Share your thoughts below; let's debate this pressing issue!
