Africa 2024: A Continent Under Heat and Floods

Africa’s changing climate isn’t just about weather—it's about survival, health and hunger.

There was a heartbreaking story in Nature magazine, published on May 14th. It tells how climate change is affecting Sosono Elizabeth, an HIV-positive patient and resident of Nsanje district in southern Malawi.

During the rainy season, relentless flooding caused by Cyclone Jude submerged her community and shut down the clinic she depends on for her antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.

“The floods are bad news for me. I have to walk over an hour to the next facility to collect my ARV refill,” she says. “When Mbenje closes, it takes a minimum of two weeks to reopen. This puts my life at risk.” 

I chose to highlight Sosono's story to illustrate how climate change affects people on a deeply personal level. There are hundreds of millions of such stories across the continent—if only someone took the time to listen. But more importantly, I chose it to reflect on how climate change is affecting us as a continent.

The State of the Climate in Africa 2024 report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), released last week, paints a sobering picture: record-breaking heat, historic droughts, catastrophic floods, and rising seas—all converging to threaten lives and livelihoods across Africa.

“The year 2024 was the warmest or second warmest on record for Africa,” the report states.

But that sentence alone doesn't tell the full story. The details are far more alarming.

In North Africa, 2024 brought scorching anomalies of over 2°C above average, while Southern Africa endured persistent, multi-year droughts. According to the WMO, these long-term temperature rises are “amplifying challenges such as water scarcity, food insecurity, and ecosystem stress,” and demand “robust climate action” across all sectors.

A continent of extremes

Southern Africa was among the hardest hit regions. Drought linked to El Niño caused cereal harvests in Zambia and Zimbabwe to plummet by 43% and 50%, respectively. This wasn’t just a farming crisis—it triggered hunger, economic instability, and electricity shortages, as water levels at the Kariba Dam (a key hydroelectric power source for both countries) fell dangerously low.

In Malawi and Mozambique, cereal yields fell by 17% and 12%, respectively, while Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa also reported well below-average outputs. In total, Southern Africa's cereal output was 16% below the five-year average, leaving millions at risk of food insecurity.

In the face of widespread hunger, Zimbabwe and Namibia even announced plans to slaughter hundreds of wild elephants and other animals to feed hunger-stricken communities—a desperate and controversial move brought on by the scale of the crisis. 

Elsewhere, heavy rains came with devastating consequences. In West Africa, over 4 million people were affected by flooding. In Nigeria’s Borno State alone, 230 people lost their lives. Mali lost 500,000 hectares of farmland, and Chad recorded 1.9 million flood-affected people.

In East Africa, still recovering from a multi-year La Niña-induced drought, the long rains of March to May brought some agricultural relief—but also deadly flooding. Kenya saw more than 700,000 people displaced, and in Ethiopia, a catastrophic landslide killed 236 people—the deadliest in the country's recorded history.

“Exceptionally heavy long rains… led to severe flooding in Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and other parts of East Africa,” the report notes.

In March, South Sudan and Somalia were scorched by a brutal heatwave, with temperatures soaring above 45°C. Schools were shut down and daily life disrupted.

Rising waters and coastal threats

Africa’s coastlines are under growing threat. Sea levels across the continent—along the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean—are rising faster than the global average. In the Western Indian Ocean, the rate is 4.10 mm per year, compared to the global average of 3.4 mm.

Warmer oceans are also intensifying storms. In 2024, the South-West Indian Ocean recorded 13 tropical systems—9 of which developed into cyclones. It was one of these storms that cut off Sosono Elizabeth’s access to ARVs.

These oceanic extremes are disrupting coral reefs, fisheries, and the livelihoods of coastal communities—contributing to worsening food insecurity and economic instability.

Hunger deepens, a glimper of hope

One of the most devastating consequences of these climate shocks is the deepening hunger crisis.

In Sudan, where conflict has already crippled agricultural production, cereal yields dropped 35%, leaving over 27 million people in acute food insecurity—including 100,000 at immediate risk of famine.

In North Africa, Morocco experienced its sixth consecutive year of drought. The 2024 cereal harvest was 42% below average. I was in Marrakech earlier this month. During a desert camel ride, we were told the area we were exploring had only recently turned to desert. That’s how visible and severe the impact of climate change has become.

If there is one clear message, it is that we must adapt—at personal, community, and continental levels.

There are signs of progress. Countries like Kenya and Nigeria are using mobile apps and SMS alerts to provide early warnings to farmers and fishers. According to the WMO, 18 African weather agencies upgraded their digital systems in 2024.

“There is increasing awareness of the benefits of using digital platforms… to improve weather forecasting and early warnings,” the report notes.

But awareness alone is not enough. The story of Sosono—and millions like her—is a reminder that climate change is not just an environmental issue. It’s a human one. And the time to act is now.

CHART OF THE WEEK

In 2024, North Africa experienced the highest temperature rise on the continent, with average temperatures reaching 2.14°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, nearly double the global average. This sharp increase makes an already hot and dry region even more vulnerable to droughts, water shortages, desertification, and heatwaves.

QOUTE OF THE WEEK

“Staying for a longer duration, three years and above, posed a greater risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection in prison,” says Dr. Simon Kasasa, a Senior Lecturer at Makerere University School of Public Health and Principal Investigator of a study that found 48% of prisoners tested positive for latent TB, and 900 per 100,000 were active TB patients.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS 

Climate change is making it harder for people in Africa to stay healthy and well-fed. A new study looking at 45 African countries from 2010 to 2022 found that rising temperatures, droughts, and extreme weather are damaging food supplies and harming people's health. In some regions like North and Central Africa, the study showed that climate change made things worse—both food and health systems are struggling. But in other areas like East and West Africa, improving food security helped people stay healthier, even with climate challenges. The study warns that African countries can't solve hunger or health problems without tackling climate change at the same time. It calls for tailored solutions in different regions and better investment in farming, healthcare, and climate adaptation. Without action, more people will go hungry or get sick as the planet heats up.[ Reference, Nature Scientific Reports] 

Long journeys threaten HIV treatment access: A new study shows that many people living with HIV in Eswatini, Malawi, and Zambia face long travel times to access antiretroviral therapy (ART), especially in rural areas. Over half of patients in Malawi and Zambia and more than a third in Eswatini cannot reach a clinic within one hour. In rural Zambia, people are over three times more likely than city dwellers to face long trips for treatment. Women, particularly in Eswatini and Zambia, are more affected. These travel barriers can discourage people from starting or continuing treatment. Researchers say closing this gap—through more clinics, better transport, or innovative delivery methods—is vital to ending the HIV epidemic in these countries. [Reference, Communications Medicine]

Barriers to Birth Control in Africa: A study looking at over 230,000 women in 23 countries across sub-Saharan Africa found that only 28% use modern contraceptives, with 19% using short-term methods like pills and condoms, and just 10% using long-term options like implants or IUDs. The study showed that education, access to media (TV, radio, magazines), family wealth, and visits to health facilities play a big role in whether women use contraceptives. Women with more children, those who work, and those with supportive partners or higher education were more likely to use modern birth control. Rural women and those with less education or limited media access were less likely to use any method. The researchers say more targeted efforts are needed—especially in poorer or less-informed communities—to improve access and education on family planning in Africa. This could help reduce unplanned pregnancies and improve maternal health. [Reference, Nature Scientific Reports]

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