🌍 Digital Innovation Meets Climate & Health: DIDIDA at the EDCTP Forum 2025

Kigali, Rwanda – 17 June 2025

On 17 June 2025, the DIDIDA consortium hosted a successful symposium at the Global Health EDCTP3 Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, bringing together researchers, innovators, and policy experts to address one of the most pressing issues in global health today: How is climate change reshaping disease dynamics in sub-Saharan Africa — and how can digital tools help us respond?

Exploring the Climate–Health Nexus

Our session, titled
“Transforming our understanding of the relationships between disease and climate: using digital tools and distributed sensor networks for predicting prevalence and dynamics”,
co-chaired by Prof. Aubrey Cunnington (Imperial College London) and Prof. Jon Cooper (University of Glasgow).

• Dr. Tobias Rinke de Wit (Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development / PharmAccess) opened the session with a compelling case for digital preparedness in the face of climate-linked epidemics, and emphasized the role of early warning systems to save lives.
• Dr. Joan Nakibuuka (University of Glasgow) highlighted how linking climate, pollution, and meteorological data can help us better understand and manage the urban burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in African cities.
• Dr. Eric Tama (Strathmore University) provided a powerful economic perspective, exploring how climate change increases the financial burden on health systems — across both communicable and non-communicable disease domains.

Key Takeaways

The session reinforced the idea that the intersection of health, environment, and technology is where some of the most promising solutions to global health challenges are emerging.

• The urgency of integrating environmental data into public health decision-making.
• The potential of digital tools to support real-time monitoring, forecasting, and early response systems.
• The importance of equity-driven innovation to ensure that vulnerable populations are not left behind in a changing climate.

A Word of Thanks

We extend our warm thanks to all speakers, participants, and the organisers of the EDCTP Forum 2025. The level of engagement and interest confirms that this topic resonates deeply — and that we are just getting started.