• Hon. Minister, Republic of Namibia
• Hon Aisha Sekindi, State Minister of Uganda and Chairperson of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET)
• H.E. Ambassador Ana Beatriz Martins, Head of the EU Delegation to Namibia
• The Representative of Executive Secretary, Southern African Development Community (SADC) and all RECs present
• Representative of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS)
• Distinguished Delegates
• Ladies and Gentlemen

Greetings from H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

It is with great honor that I address you today at the opening of the Joint Forum of the Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) and the Space for Early Warning in Africa (SEWA) programmes. The Forum represents a significant milestone in our collective efforts to engage in constructive dialogue and enhance resilience to climate variability and change across the African continent.

Allow me, from the outset, to express the African Union Commission’s gratitude to the Government and People of the Republic of Namibia for hosting this event and for the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to us. This generosity underscores Namibia's firm commitment to our shared Pan-African values and aspirations.

Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen, Africa has never been more vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather and climate change than at present. According to the 6th Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Africa’s key development sectors are already experiencing widespread climate-induced losses, damages and impacts including, biodiversity loss, water shortages, reduced food production, loss of lives, and reduced economic growth.

Africa is also experiencing complex and multi-faceted exposure and vulnerability to climate change. A majority of Africans are employed in climate-sensitive sectors, with 55-62% of the workforce in sub-Saharan Africa employed in the agriculture sector and 95% of cropland relying on rainfed farming. The rural, poor and female-headed households face greater livelihood risks from climate hazards. The rapid growth of informal settlements, without adequate services, equally amplifies the vulnerability of large populations in urban areas to weather and climate-related hazards.

ClimSA and SEWA are vital Interventions for addressing the afore-mentioned challenges. The two programmes aim to strengthen Africa’s ability to adapt to climate change and build resilience, while also strengthening the continent’s fight against poverty. ClimSA and SEWA complement each other to address member States’ capacity gaps in the generation and delivery of timely and reliable weather, early warning and climate information services in direct response to the continent’s efforts on resilience building.

Therefore, the Forum provides a platform for dialogues in order for participants and stakeholders to gain:
(a) Improved understanding of the positive impact of climate services and early warnings at sectoral, community, national, reginal and continental levels
(b) Strengthened South-South cooperation and knowledge sharing among the African, Caribbean and Pacific Regions
(c) Improved sustainability through strategic partnerships and resource mobilization
(d) Strengthened collaboration among Regional Economic Communities (RECs), National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), disaster management agencies, and development partners.

Therefore, financing weather and climate information services is an important factor in addressing climate challenges. It is, therefore, vital that we shift our perception of financing climate services from viewing it merely as a cost to recognizing it as an essential investment in adaptation and resilience building. The 2019 State of Climate Services for Agriculture and Food Security Report, published by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), indicates that climate information and associated services lead to improved agricultural and food security outcomes and benefits. The Report further shows that investing in climate services has a strong cost-benefit ratio of one to 10, with potential returns far outweighing the initial investment.

I wish, therefore, to urge member States to enhance their funding allocations to National Meteorological and Hydrological Services. I would also like to challenge the Meteorological Community to be aggressive in demonstrating the benefits of investing in climate services. I would also like to urge partners to provide financial support to the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs). In the same vein, the African Union Commission would like to express its gratefulness to the European Union for the financial support it is providing to the implementation of the ClimSA and SEWA programmes.

Excellences, Esteemed Delegates, as we engage in discussions during this Forum, let us collectively commit to catalyzing innovative solutions that will fortify Africa's resilience to climate change. Let us seize this opportunity to work together towards a sustainable and climate-resilient future for Africa. I wish to reassure you of my own and the African Union Commission’s commitment to achieving our panAfrican Vision through the implementation of resilience building programmes, including ClimSA and SEWA.

Permit me as I conclude to once again thank the Government of the Republic of Namibia and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat for all the efforts put into co-organizing this Joint Forum with the African Union Commission. I also wish to thank the Organization of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and implementing partners (JRC, EUMETSAT, ECMWF and WMO) for the productive collaboration.

Thank you for your attention