Inclusion and Climate Resilience for People with Disabilities in Africa: A Systematic Review of Challenges

Individuals with disabilities in Africa and beyond are especially vulnerable to severe climatic events such as heat waves, floods, droughts, mudslides, and cyclones. Discrimination, whether intentional or unintentional, against people with disabilities occurs across both social and formal institutions. This has heightened the vulnerability of disabled communities to environmental conditions in Africa. As a result, current discussions have linked the idea of disability inclusion with climate resilience. Despite adopting the African Disability Protocol in 2018, implementing disability inclusion in Africa remains a significant challenge. This article is a systematic review that aims to identify the challenges of inclusion in climate resilience for individuals with disabilities in Africa. The study reviewed publications from Science Direct and Google Scholar databases. The reviewed publications include articles, reports, and grey literature between 2019 and 2025. Our findings indicate that challenges to disability inclusion include the lack of an intersectional approach in policies and programmes, exclusive education, the absence of progressive disability frameworks, and a lack of accurate data on persons with disabilities (PwD). Addressing these challenges can improve climate resilience for individuals with disabilities in Africa. We recommend cross-sector collaboration to enhance information sharing regarding disability inclusion in Africa.