“It is essential to understand what leadership is. Otherwise, you will end up being a follower of your own life.”
– Thokozile Lewanika

That sentence, from a leadership session in Nairobi, stayed with me long after I left. 

When I joined the inaugural cohort of the DELTAS Africa Career Advancement Fellowship Programme, I expected to strengthen my research and leadership skills. What I didn’t expect was how much the first convening would push me to consider the kind of scientist I want to become and what I want my work to contribute. 

The 12-month programme supports 13 early-career African researchers. It combines funding for a fellowship research project with leadership development, grant writing and science communication training, mentorship and opportunities to build new networks.

My fellowship builds on my work as a postdoctoral research fellow with Cascading Climate and Health Risks in African Cities (CASCADE). Through CASCADE, I have been examining how Nature-based Solutions could help cities respond to urban heat and flooding, and what is needed to put these approaches into practice.

Moving Nature-based Solutions into practice

Nature-based Solutions protect, manage or restore natural systems in response to social and environmental challenges. In cities, trees and green spaces can provide shade and reduce temperatures. Wetlands can help manage floodwaters and reduce flood risks.

Their effectiveness depends on what is implemented, where it is located and how it responds to local conditions. The benefits and trade-offs may also differ across places and communities.

Ghana has recognised Nature-based Solutions and ecosystem-based approaches in its climate adaptation planning. However, implementation remains limited.

My CASCADE research examines the policies, institutional responsibilities and implementation gaps shaping the uptake of Nature-based Solutions in Ghana. I am particularly interested in their potential to respond to urban heat and flooding in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area.

I have reviewed 11 national policy and institutional documents to understand how Nature-based Solutions are represented and where responsibilities sit.

The next stage will gather perspectives from institutions working in meteorology, disaster management, environmental protection, spatial planning and local government. Through questionnaires and key informant interviews, I aim to understand how these institutions view Nature-based Solutions. I will also explore where their responsibilities overlap and what may be preventing more coordinated implementation.

Focusing on urban heat and health in Accra

The DELTAS Africa fellowship allows me to develop a more focused strand of this research.

Over the next 12 months, I will lead a project titled Evaluating Nature-Based Solutions for Reducing Urban Heat Exposure and Protecting Health in Vulnerable Communities in Accra, Ghana.

The project will investigate how Nature-based Solutions could reduce urban heat exposure and protect the health of communities facing the greatest risks in Accra. The fellowship will support data collection and analysis, research collaboration and the communication of the findings.

Through this work, I hope to produce evidence that helps governments, city authorities and communities make informed decisions about the role of Nature-based Solutions in urban planning and infrastructure.

Choosing how I want to lead

The leadership sessions led by Thokozile Lewanika encouraged me to take greater responsibility for the direction of my work and career.

The periods of reflection allowed me to step away from deadlines and project deliverables and consider three questions:

Why do I do this work?

What impact do I want my research to have?

What kind of scientist and leader am I becoming?

I learned that leadership begins with understanding what I want my work to contribute and making intentional choices that move me towards it.

Connecting evidence with decisions

The science communication sessions taught me to see communication as part of the research process. Evidence is more likely to inform decisions when people can understand it, trust it, and connect it to the challenges they face.

This is particularly important for research on Nature-based Solutions. Moving these approaches into practice requires communication across institutions with different responsibilities, priorities and forms of expertise.

My experience in CASCADE has shown me the value of bringing researchers, city actors, practitioners and residents into the same learning process. Their knowledge and experiences shape how climate and health risks are understood and which responses are considered appropriate.

The fellowship will help me communicate my work more clearly, build relationships around the research and consider how the findings can support practical decisions.

What I want this research to contribute

I want this research to help institutions understand which Nature-based Solutions are most appropriate for Accra and what may be preventing their implementation. It could also identify where responsibilities need to be clearer and where stronger coordination is required.

For residents, the longer-term goal is cooler neighbourhoods, reduced heat exposure, better-managed flood risks and healthier urban environments.

Although the research is grounded in Accra, it can also contribute to wider learning. Other African cities could use the evidence to assess approaches suited to their own environments, priorities and communities.

The fellowship is just beginning, but its first convening has already given me a clearer sense of direction. I am grateful to the Science for Africa Foundation for investing in emerging African researchers and to CASCADE for creating opportunities to learn, collaborate and develop my own area of research leadership.

Over the coming year, I want to strengthen the evidence available to decision-makers and grow as a researcher who can connect science, policy and practice. I hope this work contributes to healthier African cities and a stronger role for African researchers in shaping climate adaptation research.

About the author

Dr Millicent Afi Sitsofe Kwawu is a CASCADE postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana. Her CASCADE research examines the policy and institutional conditions shaping the implementation of Nature-based Solutions in Ghana. Through the DELTAS Africa Career Advancement Fellowship Programme, she will investigate how these approaches could reduce urban heat exposure and protect health in Accra.

Author: Dr Millicent Afi Sitsofe Kwawu
17 September 2026