Sierra Leone's capital Freetown has named a chief heat officer to fight the effects of extreme temperatures, in a first for Africa.

On Friday, Chief Heat Officer Eugenia Kargbo told AFP that her dedicated role, which involves planning for dangerous heatwaves, is the first such position on the continent.

"Extreme heatwaves are affecting our health, environment and food security," she said, adding that she will also engage "vulnerable communities" to find solutions.

Sierra Leone, a diamond-rich former British colony, is one of the poorest countries in the world, still recovering from a brutal 1991-2002 civil war and the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic.

About a third of the 1.2 million people in its seaside capital Freetown live in crowded slums, where Kargbo said residents are more at risk from climate change.

A fire in one such slum made about 7,000 people homeless in March. Deadly mudslides also occasionally occur in Freetown.

"We need to take action to protect our environment as the world is faced with a climate crisis," Kargbo said.

Freetown City Council appointed Kargbo to the new role this week, according to a statement from the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, which is rallying cities across the world to respond to extreme heat.

The West African city joins Miami and Greece's capital Athens in appointing chief heat officers.

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Weather News at TerraDaily.com

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