FACTSHEET CENTRAL AFRICA

This fact sheet, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in 2022, distils findings from the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report regarding climate change impacts, future risks, and adaptation strategies specifically for Central Africa.

• Central Africa has experienced warming that exceeds the global average, with average annual surface temperatures increasing by 0.75°C to 1.2°C since 1960. There is medium confidence in an increase in heatwaves and hot days between 1979 and 2016, and high confidence that the probability of marine heatwaves around most of Africa has doubled.
• Future temperature projections for Central Africa are expected to remain higher than the global average. At 2°C of global warming, the number of days per year with maximum temperatures exceeding 35°C is projected to increase by 14–27 days; at 3°C, this increase rises to 33–59 days. At 2.5°C of warming, the region may face 100–150 days per year of potentially lethal heat exposure.
• Climate change is negatively impacting food systems and biodiversity in Central Africa. Woody plants are expanding into grasslands and savannas, and there is a threat to the Congo Basin’s Cuvette Centrale peatlands, which store an estimated 30.6 billion tonnes of carbon. Agricultural productivity in Africa has slowed by 34% since the 1960s, and crop yields for maize and wheat decreased by 5.8% and 2.3% respectively across sub-Saharan Africa from 1974–2008.
• Climate change has caused significant economic losses in Central Africa. Between 1991 and 2010, GDP per capita in Central African countries was on average 13.6% lower than it would have been without human-induced climate change. Specific impacts varied by country, with the Democratic Republic of Congo seeing a reduction of 21.9% and Equatorial Guinea a reduction of 10.8%.
• Health risks are projected to increase, particularly regarding heat-related deaths and infectious diseases. While endemic malaria levels may increase by 2050 under medium warming, high warming (above 4°C) may eventually decrease prevalence in southern Central Africa as it becomes too hot for transmission. Additionally, the tiger mosquito is expected to expand into Chad by mid-century at 2°C of warming.
• Adaptation in Central Africa is severely constrained by a lack of finance and data. Between 1990 and 2019, Africa received only 3.8% of global climate-related research funding, with only 14.5% of that going to African institutions. Furthermore, adaptation finance commitments for Central Africa decreased between 2014 and 2018, and only 33% of those commitments were disbursed.
• Effective adaptation strategies for the region include ecosystem-based adaptation, the use of indigenous knowledge, and integrated water management. However, there is a risk of 'maladaptation,' such as when biomass production for renewable energy displaces subsistence farming or biodiversity-rich areas.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2022). FACTSHEET CENTRAL AFRICA. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/IPCC%20Regional%20Factsheet%203_Central%20Africa_web.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. FACTSHEET CENTRAL AFRICA. 2022. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/IPCC%20Regional%20Factsheet%203_Central%20Africa_web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=FACTSHEET CENTRAL AFRICA |date=2022 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/IPCC%20Regional%20Factsheet%203_Central%20Africa_web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2022factsheet, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{FACTSHEET CENTRAL AFRICA}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2022}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/IPCC%20Regional%20Factsheet%203_Central%20Africa_web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }