Di bandana wey Kwame Adjekum tie for im head dey tell im own tori – e don soak for sweat even before di morning don properly start.

For Ghana upper east region, where di sun dey punish people wey dey work under open sky, Kwame, wey be construction worker, dey measure di change for climate no be by degrees but by di way di heat dey give am headache and how fast concrete dey dry.

"Di sun... e no be like before," Kwame tok, as e stop small to catch im breath.

"By 10am, di ground dey burn my boot. You go dey feel dizzy, and your eye go dey turn. You go need take more break, but di less work wey you do mean say di less money you go make. E no easy to choose: your health or di food wey you go chop," e tok give TRT Afrika.

Na di same wahala plenty people for di continent dey face. Isatou Jallow dey fight di same battle for di fertile lowlands of The Gambia.

Di rain wey before dey follow normal pattern don turn anyhow. Di average temperature dey rise steady steady, and e don turn her farm to place wey she dey test her strength.

"Di heat na thief, e dey steal our energy, our harvest and our money," Isatou tok as she lean on her hoe. "You go drink water again and again but e no go quench your thirst. You go dey see your crops dey die but you no fit do anything about am."

Hottest on record

New report from World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) don show how serious di matter be.

2024 na di hottest year for di whole world, as di average temperature pass 40 degrees Celsius, and for some areas, e even reach 50 degrees.

Di report wey dey based on 50 years research show say di wahala of heat stress no be something wey go happen for future, e dey happen now.

"Heat stress don dey affect di health and work of billions of people, especially for di most vulnerable communities," Dr Jeremy Farrar, WHO assistant director-general tok. "Dis new guidance dey give practical solution wey fit save lives, reduce inequality and make workers strong pass heat."

Di wahala of heatwaves no just dey affect health for short time. If person dey work for sun for long, e fit cause kidney problem because of dehydration and even affect di brain.

Di economic side of di matter na another big problem. Research don show say productivity dey drop by 2-3% for every temperature wey pass 20 degrees Celsius, and dis one fit scatter families wey dey depend on daily work.

Devising a heat map

WHO-WMO guidance dey recommend action plan wey employers, workers, unions and health experts go work together to implement.

Di recommendation dey focus on different areas. Policy suppose consider local weather, di kind work wey people dey do and di health of di workers.

Dem also talk say make dem put di people wey dey most at risk for front – like middle-aged and older workers, people wey get health problem, and people wey no too strong or no get money.

Education dey important to make sure say people sabi di signs of heat stress and how to treat am – from first responders to di workers demself. Di report also suggest say technology and sustainable design fit help provide solution wey go work for plenty people.

"Di wahala of heat stress for work don turn global problem, no be only countries wey dey near equator dey suffer am," WMO deputy secretary-general Ko Barrett tok. "To protect workers from heat no be only health matter, e dey important for economy too."

Di urgency dey clear when you look di International Labour Organisation (ILO) findings. Over 2.4 billion workers for di world dey face too much heat regularly, and e dey cause almost 23 million work-related injuries every year.

Price of delay

For people wey dey suffer di rising temperature, di statistics wey dem mention for di guidance na di struggle wey dem dey face everyday to survive and live with dignity.

"We need shade, clean water and employers wey go understand di danger wey we dey face," Kwame tok.

Isatou believe say di community fit try, but e no go reach. "We strong, but we no fit fight dis one alone," she tok give TRT Afrika. "We need support to adapt to di abnormal weather and find better way to work wey no go put our life for risk."

Kwame and Isatou join di growing voice for di world wey dey demand protection for workers wey dey build and feed di world with their sweat.

As di average temperature dey rise because of climate change, experts believe say to protect workers' health and work don turn from policy matter to something wey humanity need to survive and keep di economy stable.