🚁 Heli view: The missing link in Africa’s green economy

At least 15,700 Africans died last year in extreme weather disasters and a further 34 million were directly affected. That is only the beginning. 

• Droughts, floods and storms will unleash disease and exacerbate medical gaps.

• Climate change is expected to cost African healthcare an extra $2 trillion by 2050. 

• Of the 60 countries identified by the World Bank as most vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change, 38 are in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Missing bridge: The biggest hurdle to tackling the health crisis stemming from climate change is a disconnect between the medical sector and the green economy. 

• Both are growing fast, solving problems, but neither sees the other as a partner.

• There are exceptions, but they only prove the point that much is missing. 

The numbers: Investment in climate-tech in the first half of 2023 was $530 million while medtech raised $390 million. Yet the overlap was minimal. 

• Out of 313 African projects that received climate funding between 2009 and 2019, only two targeted the health sector. 

• Even though sub-Saharan Africa will shoulder 80% of the global healthcare adaptation costs, very few medical startups directly address climate impact. 

Medical myopia: Innovation is driving the African health sector - from telemedicine to new supply chains and software solutions. But are the innovators interested in climate change? 

• HealthTracka in Nigeria decentralises healthcare with at-home lab tests, virtual consultations and medication delivery. But no mention of climate-relevance. 

• Tibu in Kenya connects patients digitally to primary care, wellness and disease management. No indication of this relating to climate change.

• Bypa-ss in Egypt digitises patients’ medical records, including prescriptions and test results. Apparently, zero climate link. 

The exceptions: A few new healthcare companies do get the link to climate.

• Zuri Health, a telehealth startup, incorporates climate-conscious initiatives.

• 8Medical in Nigeria markets emergency services for climate-related heatstroke.

• Medikea, another telehealth startup, received funding from Catalyst Fund on the basis that healthcare will face increased demand due to climate change.

Climate startups: Myopia is not limited to the health sector. Many climate innovators and investors focus more on carbon than humans, though there are exceptions. 

• The Global Grand Challenges network in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation will spend $12 million to support innovators at the intersection of climate and health. 

• A company such as Map&Rank, which collects weather data to forecast climate risks, could easily be plugged into healthcare planning.

Thriving merger: The clean cooking industry is an example of a sector that has successfully incorporated both health and climate benefits as key indicators of its impact.

• Stove makers trumpet reductions in indoor air pollution that would otherwise lead to respiratory diseases as well as reductions in global emissions. 

• The Clean Cooking Alliance, an industry association, speaks of combating “environmental health risks”. 

Growing awareness: Insiders are taking note. Emilian Popa, founder of Ilara Health, which serves primary carers, says, “Climate is very wide and health is a bit more specific, so investment from climate into health is more likely than the reverse.”