Global consortium seeks bold, scalable solutions that reduce climate-driven health harms on vulnerable communities
LONDON, June 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At London Climate Action Week, Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) and the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) today announced the launch of Nexa, a global initiative to support locally led innovations that address the growing health impacts of climate change. Nexa is led by GCC (in partnership with the Government of Canada) and SFA Foundation, together with a global network of collaborators that includes Novo Nordisk Foundation, Sanofi Foundation, Fund for Innovation in Development, and members of the Global Grand Challenges Network in Botswana, Brazil, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa. Nexa aims to mobilize upwards of US$50 million in partner investment to expand the impact of urgently needed climate-health innovations in low-and middle-income countries. The first Nexa funding call opens June 22 for innovations in Africa and the Americas.
The climate crisis has been described in The Lancet as the greatest global health threat of the 21st century. An estimated 3.6 billion people worldwide live in climate-vulnerable regions. Nexa responds to the challenges communities across low- and middle-income countries face as intensifying climate pressures drive new and worsening health risks and place additional strain on already overburdened health systems.
“Communities around the world are facing rapidly growing threats to their health and livelihoods while global climate commitments are weakening,” said Dr. Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada. “Nexa is about supporting bold, locally led innovation to transform how people stay healthy in the face of climate change.”
