World Health Day, Global Public Health Week, and World Earth Day highlight prevention, equity, and planetary health as Africa confronts rising disease and climate pressures.
As Africa marks World Health Day (07 April), Global Public Health Week (6-10 April) and World Earth Day (22 April), the Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) South Africa is calling for urgent, science-based action to position nutrition at the centre of health systems, food systems, and climate resilience across the continent.
Africa is undergoing a significant health transition. While infectious diseases remain a challenge, non-communicable diseases now account for approximately 37% of deaths in the region. At the same time, climate change is intensifying food insecurity, disrupting agricultural systems, and increasing the cost of nutritious foods, placing additional pressure on population health and healthcare systems.
These interconnected challenges reflect the core message of this year’s World Health Day theme, “Together for Health. Stand with Science”: that human, environmental, and societal health are deeply interconnected.
PAN South Africa emphasises that nutrition is a critical, evidence-based lever within the One Health approach, capable of addressing disease prevention, environmental sustainability, and optimal health simultaneously.
“Standing with science means recognising that what we eat is fundamental to both our health and the health of our environment,” said Registered Dietitian and Projects Manager at PAN South Africa, Pierrette Nhlapo.
Aligning with Africa’s long-term vision
The African Union’s development framework, Agenda 2063, outlines a vision of a continent where people enjoy high standards of health, food security, and well-being within climate-resilient economies. However, current trends highlight a widening gap between this vision and present realities.
Despite contributing less than 5% of global carbon emissions, Africa is disproportionately affected by climate change. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and environmental degradation are already impacting crop yields, livelihoods, and access to nutritious food. These pressures are compounded by dietary shifts away from traditional food systems, contributing to both undernutrition and diet-related disease.
Human health and environmental health are therefore inseparable: food systems both drive and are affected by climate change, making dietary patterns a critical point of intervention for both health and sustainability.
From risk to solution: the role of diet
Scientific evidence, including the EAT-Lancet Commission, shows that balanced, plant-forward dietary patterns can improve health outcomes while reducing environmental impact. These diets prioritise whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, with moderate inclusion of animal-source foods.
For Africa, this approach aligns closely with traditional dietary patterns. Indigenous African diets are rich in legumes, whole grains, and diverse plant foods, many of which are climate-resilient and nutritionally dense. Yet these food systems are increasingly underutilised, despite evidence that over 100 indigenous African plant foods remain neglected and underrepresented in food systems and policies.
“The solution is not imported; it already exists within African food systems,” said Nhlapo. “Reviving traditional, plant-forward diets is essential to improving health, strengthening resilience, and protecting the environment.”
Prevention, policy, and food system transformation
Aligned with Global Public Health Week’s focus on prevention and resilient systems, PAN South Africa highlights that nutrition must be central to public health policy and practice.
PAN South Africa is part of PAN International’s Dietary Guidelines Initiative, advocating for plant-forward, culturally inclusive, and sustainable food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) to improve health outcomes and address environmental challenges across Africa.
Currently, many African FAO member countries either lack FBDGs or do not adequately integrate sustainability and plant-forward guidance. Strengthening these guidelines presents a key opportunity to transform food systems.
Evidence from African FBDGs demonstrates the environmental and health benefits of plant-forward diets. For example, Zambia’s guidelines highlight that:
“Eating a diet predominantly based on whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, fish and insects is not only good for our health, but it is good for planetary health too… Growing these foods produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions, reduces water and land use, and helps protect ecosystems”.
Similarly, guidelines from countries such as Sierra Leone and Ethiopia emphasise the role of pulses and legumes in sustainable food systems, noting their ability to improve soil fertility through nitrogen fixation and support climate resilience.
A call to action
To address the continent’s interconnected health and environmental challenges, PAN South Africa calls for coordinated action:
- Governments should strengthen food-based dietary guidelines and broader nutrition policy to ensure they are healthy, environmentally sustainable, and culturally inclusive.
- Healthcare professionals should prioritise evidence-based nutrition as a cornerstone of prevention and care.
- Higher education institutions to integrate nutrition education and culinary medicine into medical and health sciences training, equipping future professionals with practical skills to support communities in food and nutrition literacy. Through its PAN University Programme, PAN South Africa is contributing to this effort by educating the next generation of healthcare professionals.
- Communities and civil society to preserve and revitalise traditional dietary practices that support health, cultural identity, and environmental sustainability
As the continent navigates rising disease burdens, climate vulnerability, and food system pressures, nutrition represents one of the most immediate, cost-effective, and scalable solutions available.
“Africa’s future health depends on decisions made today,” said Nhlapo. “By aligning science, policy, and culture, we can build food systems that nourish people, protect the planet, and realise the vision of Agenda 2063.”
