In KIGALI, Rwanda, after three days of intensive dialogue and technical exchange, delegates from 23 countries concluded the Standards for Official Statistics on Climate–Health Interactions (SOSCHI) Conference with a unified call: Africa must urgently strengthen its climate–health intelligence if it is to protect communities and shape effective national policies in a warming world.
The gathering brought together government officials, scientific institutions, global organisations and development partners working at the intersection of climate and public health. Their message was clear, climate change is already reshaping disease patterns, aggravating health inequalities and threatening human wellbeing across the continent, yet most countries still collect climate and health data separately. Without integrated indicators, policymakers are left with an incomplete picture of how climate hazards from extreme heat to flooding, translate into real impacts on people’s lives.
Speakers emphasised that behind the statistics are farmers facing heat stress, families displaced by floods, communities battling malaria in new regions, and urban residents exposed to toxic air. Strengthening climate–health indicators, they stressed, is ultimately about saving lives, protecting livelihoods and empowering governments to respond before crises emerge.
The communiqué adopted in Kigali underscored this point, noting the “urgent need for more robust information on the health impacts of climate hazards to strengthen national policies and guide targeted interventions.” Such insights could help countries invest in the right early-warning systems, design climate-smart health services and ensure vulnerable groups like women, children, rural households and low-income communities, are not left behind.
Delegates also framed the effort as a matter of political responsibility. As climate impacts intensify, governments are increasingly expected to justify how public resources are allocated for adaptation and health resilience. Harmonised indicators, they argued, will give leaders stronger evidence to prioritise investments, negotiate international support and track the effectiveness of national strategies.
Many pointed out that Africa, despite contributing the least to global emissions, faces some of the world’s highest climate-related health risks. By championing the SOSCHI framework, the continent is positioning itself as a global leader in defining new standards for climate-health accountability.
A recurring theme throughout the conference was sustainability. Participants warned that climate–health monitoring must not rely on short-term donor projects but instead be built into national systems supported by domestic financing, skilled personnel and resilient institutions. Improving civil registration, modernising health information systems, and boosting environmental and meteorological monitoring were identified as key pillars.
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