Abidjan, 05 Jul 2024 (AIP) - Young and senior researchers, members of the African Transdisciplinary Center on Heat and Health (HE2AT) team, have been taking part since Wednesday July 3, 2024 in Abidjan in the third workshop of the HE2AT project aimed at developing solutions using data science to mitigate the health impacts of climate change in Africa.

According to the vice-president of Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University, Pr Vanga Ferdinand, this workshop provides an opportunity to share with stakeholders the project's progress since its inception, to discuss the challenges of using data science methods to protect vulnerable populations from the effects of heat, and to implement the project's future actions.

"The HE2AT international research project aims to improve understanding of the complex interactions between heat and health in African cities, taking into account spatial and demographic dimensions, and to contribute to a major step towards the development of interventions," said. Prof. Vanga.

The Director of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS) in Côte d'Ivoire, Pr Inza Koné, believes it is imperative to find sustainable solutions to global warming to improve the health and quality of life of African populations.

He pointed out that CSRS is the first administrative and scientific partner of Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University for the implementation of this project in Côte d'Ivoire. This strategic collaboration is governed by a general collaboration agreement and a special agreement between UPGC and CSRS.

The third HE2AT project workshop concludes this Friday. It offers an opportunity for partners from South Africa and the USA, through a program of pre-conference activities, to visit the Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University (UPGC) in Korhogo, northern Côte d'Ivoire, to meet academic authorities as well as representatives of relevant ministries in Abidjan, notably the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Health.

The HE2AT project was initiated by a consortium of partners in the USA and Africa, and is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH, USA). Project partners are based in South Africa (University of the Witwatersrand, University of Cape Town and IBM Research Africa), Zimbabwe (the CesSHAR Center), Côte d'Ivoire (Université Peleforo Gon Coulibaly de Korhogo), and the USA (University of Washington).

(AIP)

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