August 2024 marks a new turning point for African Meteorology Centres as the African Union through the Intra-ACP Climate Service and Related Applications (ClimSA) programme sends out a team of experts for the verification of the service delivery of the freshly deployed and installed climate infrastructure in Kenya.
The verification team comprises AUC staff led Dr. Jolly Wasambo, AUC-ClimSA Programme Coordinator, together with the experts from Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD), Institute for Meteorological Training and Research (IMTR) and IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC).
The deployment of these ClimSA and PUMA Stations infrastructure is expected to support all African Union ClimSA programme beneficiaries with capabilities to retrieve, process and visualise weather and climate datasets for the generation and delivery of reliable and timely climate information services needed by decision-makers to adapt to the impacts of climate change, manage risks associated with extreme weather events, and make long-term plans that take climate change into account.
The equipment installation and training commence in Kenya and will continue to the rest of Africa until 2025. The National Meteorological Services, Regional Climate Centres and the Regional Training Centres will be trained on the use of the infrastructure, administration and maintenance of the system as part of a sustainable measure. The training will also include Training of Trainers to pass down the knowledge to other experts from AU member States.
The European Union is providing both financial and technical support through the Intra-ACP Cooperation – 11th European Development Fund (EDF) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, respectively.
Tecnavia SA (the contractor), with the support of the JRC and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), is contracted by the AUC to supply, deliver, and install the infrastructure, as well as to deliver training on the infrastructure. Both the Climate Station (developed by JRC) and the PUMA Station (developed by EUMETSAT) have evolved over a long period of time, while considering emerging environmental and climate challenges, as well as socio-economic development needs of Africa.
The AUC as a continental body has facilitated this coordination and installation verification.
Harsen Nyambe Nyambe, Director of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy at the AUC, observed that “the infrastructure will enable AU member States and the African continent as a whole to develop and provide timely, science-based and sector-specific climate information for decision-making, development and adaptation planning, and overall climate-informed action”.
“This verification, therefore, is critical for the AUC to ensure that the contractor delivers services that are beneficial to Africa and compliant with predetermined specifications,” Nyambe remarked.
The beneficiaries of the ClimSA programme are the African Union Member States, Regional Climate Centres, and Regional Meteorological and Training Centres. As part of the contract agreement signed between AUC and Tecnavia SA on November 26, 2023, the verification ensures that all hardware and software specifications and related services (including training) meet the requirements of the agreement. Its success is the first milestone on the way to deployment of the climate infrastructure to the Member States.
The socio-economic benefit expected from the infrastructure are numerous and some of which include: efficiency in climate observation on regional and national levels; efficient numerical prediction; enhanced expertise in furcating; and improved forecasting and support for timely national decision making and action.
Communities benefit from reliable and timely weather and climate information, among others, include: climate-informed decision-making and action; safety of life, property and infrastructure; sustainable and secure livelihoods; safety in transport (at sea, land and in air); communication; sustainable energy planning and use; sustainable agriculture and food security; tourism; development of the climate policy and environmental protection.
