Who we are
The CHINNOVA Hub is an integrated climate change and health hub serving as a vital resource at the intersection of environmental science and public health in West and Central Africa. The Hub is designed to address the complex challenges posed by climate change and its direct and indirect impacts on human health. By bringing together multidisciplinary
expertise—including climatology, epidemiology, urban planning, and the social sciences—CHINNOVA fosters collaboration and supports research, policy development, and community engagement across the region. At its core, CHINNOVA focuses on strengthening understanding of how climate change influences health outcomes. The Hub also serves as a platform for learning, education, and outreach through workshops, seminars, training programmes, and other knowledge-sharing initiatives, supporting capacity strengthening and awareness on climate-related health risks.Through capacity-building activities, knowledge exchange, and community engagement, CHINNOVA integrates local knowledge and experience to ensure its work is culturally relevant and contextually grounded. In parallel, the Hub plays a strategic role in policy engagement, working with governmental and non-governmental partners to promote evidence-informed policies that advance both public health and environmental sustainability.Ultimately, CHINNOVA is more than a research hub; it is a regional platform for innovation, collaboration, and advocacy, dedicated to advancing healthier and more resilient communities across West and Central Africa.
Vision, Goals and Objective
The Climate-Health INNOVation Hub for West and Central Africa(CHINNOVA) seeks to become a strong network of networks at the intersection of climate change and health that supports the resillience of the health systems to climate change.The specific objective(SOs) of the CHINNOVA project are to:
Objective 1
Improve the participation of individuals,organisations and networks in the design,implementatuin,assessment and dissemination of solutions for climate-resilieng health system,while fostering interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral collaborations on climate change and health
Objective 2
Increase the availability of disaggregated and inter-sectoral climate change and health data that are interoperable and openly accessible allowing research and scientific community to anticipate the complex intersections between ecosystems,animal and human health
Objective 3
Strengthen health systems’ anticipation and response capacity to outbreaks of climate-sensitive diseases and disorders by integrating epidemic,bioclimatic and artificial intelligence (AI) modelling.
Objective 4
Support the health system workforce to fully integrate gender equality and inclusion responding to climate-induced health risks and shocks and equip it with contextualised robust and equity-based knowledge system and networks.
Objective 5
Close Knowledge gaps through training and capacity building of researchers,grassroots organisations,civil society organisations,local communities and the design and implementation of climate change research and innovative solutions for climate-resilient health systems.
CHINNOVA Advisory Committee
Professor Zulfiqar A. Bhutta
Chair of the Committee
Profile of Professor Zulfiqar A. Bhutta
Yolande Berton-Ofouémé
Member
Profile of Yolande Berton-Ofouémé
Professor Isaac Luginaah
Member
Profile of Professor Isaac Luginaah
Professor Hortense Atta Diallo
Member
Profile of Professor Hortense Atta Diallo
Professor Craig Hutton
Member
Profile of Professor Craig Hutton
Professor Pekka Nuorti
Member
Profile of Professor Pekka Nuorti
Professor Moses J. Bockarie
Member
Profile of Professor Moses J. Bockarie
Meet The CHINNOVA Team
Professor Frederick Ato Armah
Project Principal Investigator
Director of Research and Programmes, Association of African Universities Secretariat, Trinity Avenue (Next to NCTE, NAB and NAPBTEX), East Legon, P. O. Box AN 5744, Accra, Ghana
email: faarmah@aau.org
Profile of Professor Frederick Ato Armah
Dr. Seyni Salack
Co-investigator (co-PI)
Senior Research Scientist, Regional Thematic Coordinator – Risks and Vulnerability to Climate Extremes, WASCAL, CSIR Office Complex, 6 Agostino Neto Road Airport Residential Area, PMB CT504, Accra, Ghana,
email: salack.s@wascal.org
Profile of Dr. Seyni Salack
Professor David Teye Doku
Co-investigator (Co-PI)
Department of Population and Health, Faculty of Social Sciences, College of Humanities and Legal Studies, University of Cape Coast (UCC), Cape Coast, Ghana.
Email: ddoku@ucc.edu.gh
Profile of Professor David Teye Doku
Prof. Kehinde O. Ogunjobi
Co-investigator (Co-PI)
Deputy Executive Director of WASCAL, WASCAL, CSIR Office Complex, 6 Agostino Neto Road Airport Residential Area, PMB CT504, Accra, Ghana,
email: ogunjobi.k@wascal.org
Profile of Prof. Kehinde O. Ogunjobi
Dr. Offianan Andre Toure
Co-investigator (co-PI)
Directeur de Recherche, Département Parasitologie Mycologie, Institut Pasteur de Côte d’Ivoire,
Email: andre_offianan@yahoo.fr
Profile of Dr. Offianan Andre Toure
Dr. Ibrahim Aba’a
Co-investigator (Co-PI)
Department of Economics, Omar Bongo University, Gabon.
Email: abaaibrahim@gmail.com
Profile of Dr. Ibrahim Aba’a
The CHINNOVA Project Staff
Dr. Safiétou SANFO
M&E
Profile of Dr. Safiétou SANFO
Dr. Felicia Nkrumah Kuagbedzi
Knowledge Management
Profile of Dr. Felicia Nkrumah Kuagbedzi
Dr. Man-Koumba SOUMAHORO
Research Programme
Profile of Dr. Man-Koumba SOUMAHORO
Mr. Frank Adjei
Finance/Accounting
Profile of Mr. Frank Adjei
Resources
Climate Services For Health Annex
As climate change accelerates, its impacts on human health are becoming more severe, manifesting through shifts in disease patterns and increased frequency of extreme weather events, straining already overburdened health systems. These intersecting challenges call for coordinated, data-driven responses. When designed with climate sensitivity in mind, digital health tools can play a critical role in early warning, risk forecasting, and adaptive public health planning and service delivery.DPI, interoperable systems that support inclusive service delivery and effective governance, is essential for integrating climate and health data. By combining satellite imagery, weather forecasts, and health system insights, DPI enables policymakers and health leaders to anticipate climate-related health risks, respond to evolving health needs, and strengthen the resilience of health systems, particularly in vulnerable communities. Recognizing the urgency of this need, PATH, in partnership with Wellcome, the Rockefeller Foundation, WHO, and the WHO-WMO Climate and Health Joint Programme, launched the DPI for Climate and Health (DPI4CH) project in June 2024. The DPI4CH initiative aims to set the foundation to identify, synthesize, and promote valuable DPGs and DPI assets that will accelerate the access and use of integrated climate and health data information systems.
