The Climate Change and Health Research Priority Setting Regional Stakeholders Consultative Workshop, held in Gabon, on June 18-19, 2025, brought together key stakeholders across West and Central Africa to shape a regional research agenda under the CHINNOVA project. The event marked a major step toward building climate-resilient health systems through evidence generation, collaboration, and inclusive innovation
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CHINNOVA Project Overview
CHINNOVA, a regional initiative, is designed to:
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Strengthen climate-health research capacity,
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Foster partnerships and evidence-based policymaking,
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Promote gender equity, and
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Develop interoperable health and climate data systems.
Partner institutions include:
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Association of African Universities (AAU), Ghana
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West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), Burkina Faso
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Institut Pasteur de Côte d’Ivoire (IPCI), Côte d’Ivoire
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Université Omar Bongo, Gabon
The project aims to support research projects and conduct capacity-building workshops across the region.
Key Findings and Recommendations
A regional situation analysis revealed:
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Rising cases of climate-sensitive diseases (e.g., cholera, dengue, respiratory illnesses),
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Gaps in early warning systems and fragmented health data,
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The need for cross-sectoral collaboration, integration of indigenous knowledge, and the use of geospatial tools in health surveillance.
Research Prioritization Using CHNRI
Participants engaged in a structured CHNRI (Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative) process to identify and rank climate-health research priorities:
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Youth engagement,
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Intergenerational collaboration, and
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Use of innovative, locally relevant tools.
Preparing for the Call for Proposals
To fund regional research projects, CHINNOVA will soon launch a Call for Proposals. Training will be provided on how to use the bilingual (English/French) online submission platform.
A panel of qualified evaluators will assess submissions, overseen by the CHINNOVA Advisory Committee.
📢 Call for Proposals – Coming Soon
Looking Ahead
In his closing remarks, Prof. Frederick Ato Armah encouraged African youth to embrace innovation and highlighted the importance of continuing collaboration beyond the workshop.
The Gabon meeting laid a strong foundation for CHINNOVA’s mission—creating an inclusive, evidence-based, and collaborative pathway to climate-resilient health systems across the region.
