TITLE:
When Not Every Adaptation to Climate Change Works: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa
AUTHORS:
Chris Allan Shisanya, Truphena Eshibukule Mukuna, Charles Wambongo Recha
KEYWORDS:
Climate Change Adaptation, Maladaptation, Transformative Adaptation, Sub-Saharan Africa. Vulnerability
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.6,
June
8,
2026
ABSTRACT: This paper presents a literature-based case analysis of climate change maladaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), examining instances in which adaptation interventions have inadvertently increased vulnerability rather than reduced it. Drawing on a multi-theoretical framework integrating vulnerability theory, political ecology, and the maladaptation lens, the paper synthesizes published evidence from selected cases in Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Senegal. The review identifies recurring drivers of maladaptation, including top-down planning, weak stakeholder inclusion, socio-cultural misalignment, ecological unsuitability, and short-term policy approaches. The analyzed cases include irrigation-induced conflict, exclusionary climate-smart agriculture, ecologically damaging afforestation, inequitable water harvesting, and displacement associated with coastal defense and resettlement programs. The paper demonstrates how adaptation interventions can reinforce inequalities, undermine local livelihoods, and generate new environmental risks when contextual realities are overlooked. The analysis underscores the need for context-sensitive, participatory, and equity-oriented adaptation planning in SSA. The paper concludes by advocating for transformative adaptation approaches that address structural vulnerabilities and promote sustainable, locally grounded climate resilience.Subject AreasEnvironmental Sciences