Mr. Emmanuel Anyang Abeka holds a BSc in Planning from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Ghana. His research interests are the environment, urbanization and human health. He is a private consultant in urban and environmental planning.

PHD TOPIC: CLIMATE AND THE DISEASE BURDEN OF THE URBAN POOR IN GHANA

Two phenomena will define the future development of Africa. These are urbanization and climate change. It is estimated that less than 40% of the population of Africa live in urban settlements. This is expected to increase to more than 50% by the year 2025 of which a majority will be poor. Climate change will impact on urban health outcomes through a rise in the incidence of infectious diseases and malaria as well as malnutrition among others. These diseases are associated with households living in depressed housing areas in urban centres. Against this background, there have been studies that have concluded that the disease burden associated with climate change will be elsewhere but not in poor urban areas. The study determines whether climate change is a correlate of the disease burden of households living in blighted areas in urban Ghana. It also looks at the level of awareness about climate change-health impacts among poor urban households as well as the willingness of such households to pay for some adaptation measures against climate change.