A new five-year Wellcome Trust–supported initiative on Climate Science and Policy
Centres Africa will address the growing health impacts of climate change in Southern
Africa. The project responds to increasing extreme heat and flooding events in the
region and aims to overcome knowledge, policy, and financing barriers that limit
effective climate adaptation and mitigation. Using a transdisciplinary approach, the
Centre will focus on extreme heat in South Africa and Zimbabwe and flooding in
Malawi, with particular attention to vulnerable groups including pregnant women,
children, older people, and those living with chronic health conditions.
The project will quantify and track climate-related health impacts, test innovative
adaptation strategies – such as anticipatory cash transfers, mental health resilience
support, and cooling interventions – and strengthen regional policy coordination. It is
administered by the Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Ltd in South Africa and
implemented in partnership with SECTION27 (South Africa); Kamuzu University of
Health Sciences, the Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Trust, and LEAD (Malawi);
CeSHHAR (Zimbabwe); and ACDI, alongside collaborating climate change NGOs from
South Africa, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. The initiative aims to strengthen national climate
and health programmes, support climate finance engagement, and advance African
leadership in climate-health research and policy.