As climate-related disasters intensify across Nigeria and the wider African continent, health experts are raising urgent concerns about the mounting toll on public health, particularly for women and vulnerable communities.
The growing climate crisis, they warn, is threatening to overwhelm already fragile health systems and expose long-standing inequities in access to essential care.
Experts made this call on Thursday during a panel session themed “Addressing the Effects of Climate Change on Health,” which explored how African countries can build climate-resilient health systems through policy innovation, community-based solutions, and equity-driven partnerships.
Coordinator for public health and environment at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Nigeria, Dr. Edwin Edeh emphasised that health is now the visible face of climate change in Africa.
“Whether it’s in Makoko, Lagos, or Mapalo in Malawi, the impact of climate change ultimately shows up at the health facility. Health is no longer just a victim of climate change. It must be recognised as a vital part of the solution,” Edeh said.
He stressed that the health sector must be repositioned at the core of climate action. According to him, WHO and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health have conducted a nationwide vulnerability and adaptation assessment, which revealed that 21 per cent of the country’s total disease burden is linked to climate-related factors.
“This means that one in every five Nigerian deaths in the next five years could be preventable if we act now to reduce climate risks,” Edeh said.
He called for greater political commitment, the generation of local evidence, and integration of climate considerations into the national health system via a dedicated National Health Adaptation Plan (NHA). He noted that the plan was developed using WHO’s framework for building climate-resilient health systems.
Citing practical interventions, Edeh said WHO has supported the pilot installation of solar-powered health facilities in Nigeria, saving over five litres of fuel daily and reducing over 44,000 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions. He added that Nigeria has also begun training a climate-smart health workforce to meet future needs.
“But beyond infrastructure and emissions, the human cost is real, especially for women,” he warned. “Climate resilience must be built with people, not just for people. If we don’t involve communities in planning, our strategies will fail. Data and innovation must meet local realities.”
Regional director of Pathfinder International, Dr. Amina Dorayi echoed these concerns by painting a stark picture of how climate-induced events are disrupting women’s access to critical sexual and reproductive health services.
“During floods and extreme weather, mobility becomes a challenge. Women cannot reach health facilities when they need to. Worse still, supply chain breakdowns, as seen during COVID-19, cut off access to essential commodities like contraceptives and maternal care,” she said.
Dorayi emphasised that women’s health needs are not optional or occasional. “Pregnancy doesn’t pause for climate disasters. From antenatal visits to emergency care, any delay can have long-term health consequences.”
She explained that Pathfinder International, which operates in over 16 countries, including Nigeria, has started integrating climate considerations into its programming. This ensures that reproductive health services remain accessible and adaptable during climate-related crises.
Dorayi called on the government, civil society, and private sector to embed health into all climate-related policies and actions. She also called for expanding early warning systems and localising interventions to match the needs of real communities.
She added that women must not only be seen as beneficiaries of aid or services, but as co-creators of solutions. “The missing link is women’s leadership. Our grandmothers and mothers in rural communities have climate solutions rooted in their everyday realities. Yet they are often excluded from decision-making tables.”
She advocated for gender-inclusive planning, especially for projects like solar-powered clinics and climate-resilient community health infrastructure.
Her sentiments were reinforced by Ms. Mashishi Mokgadi, Africa Access Lead at Organon, a global pharmaceutical company focused on women’s health. Mokgadi warned that excluding women from climate-health policy formulation undermines their effectiveness and sustainability.
“If women and girls are not part of the climate conversation, how do we even know what problems we are solving? We need to demystify climate science using simple, locally relevant language,” she said.
She emphasised the importance of community involvement and urged governments and development agencies to turn high-level policy into tangible, community-driven action. “Let every woman and girl have not just a voice in the crowd, but a seat at the table.”
CEO of the African Business Coalition for Health (ABCHealth), Dr. Morires Atiko highlighted the often-overlooked role of the private sector in climate-health financing. She stressed the need for companies to move beyond token corporate social responsibility efforts and embed sustainability into core business strategies.
“Right now, climate action is often buried in general social reporting and disconnected from direct health impacts. That must change,” Atiko said.
She called on companies to align operations with environmental and health priorities by measuring carbon footprints, shifting to eco-friendly transportation and production and investing in climate-resilient healthcare infrastructure.
She also advocated for multi-sector partnerships involving private companies, innovation hubs, research institutions, and development banks to jointly design and implement sustainable solutions.
“Health is everybody’s business and so is climate change. If we continue to work in silos, the cost will be collective failure,” she warned.
The panellists agreed that the climate crisis is not a distant threat, but an urgent public health emergency. For Nigeria, building resilience now is critical not only to protect lives but also to safeguard future economic and social stability.
As extreme weather events become more frequent and devastating, the panel concluded with a unanimous call to action: Nigeria must act decisively to adapt its health systems or face an irreversible crisis in maternal health, disease control, and community well-being.
