Dr. Paul Ayelo advocates for policy reform in Africa to integrate climate change into occupational health and safety
via Lefaso.net8 min read
Dr. Paul Ayelo, a professor of occupational medicine at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin, presented at the African Forum for Innovations in Health, Safety, and Well-being at Work AFRISST in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from July 2 to 4, 2026. He argued that current occupational health and safety OHS policies in Africa must integrate climate change considerations to be truly sustainable. Dr. Ayelo highlighted that Africa is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, including droughts, floods, heatwaves, coastal erosion, and increased vector-borne diseases, which directly affect professional risks and socio-economic development. He emphasized that climate change is a direct factor in occupational risks, citing examples like water stress affecting agricultural activities and increased disease vectors due to heat and humidity. Dr. Ayelo stressed that OHS policies are commitments to prevent professional risks and ensure safe work environments, but these ambitions are difficult to achieve without integrating climate risks from the policy design stage. He outlined various climate risks, such as intense droughts, large-scale fires, rising sea levels, and more frequent storms. Dr. Sounkalo Djibo, CEO of Sahelors Consulting, supported Dr. Ayelo's perspective, noting the challenging conditions in industrial workplaces, where heat can be a major factor. Dr. Cyriaque Paré, a research professor at the Institute of Social Sciences INSS, questioned the actual level of awareness amon
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