Hazard remains one of the most devastating and recurring in Africa

At the Second Africa Climate Summit (ASC2), leaders and experts called for a paradigm shift from reactive response to proactive and anticipatory drought governance, launching the Africa Drought Watch AMHEWAS Drought Bulletin — Early Warnings to Drive Early Action Across Africa | African Union as a continental solution to one of Africa’s most pressing climate risks. 

At the high-level session titled “Anticipating Drought, Accelerating Early Warning: Getting Africa Ready for the Next Drought and the one After That”, the high-level dialogue underscored drought resilience as a strategic climate action and development priority for Africa. The event was held on 9 September 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The event was co-convened by the African Union Commission, through the Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMHEWAS), in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Africa (RoA), United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

A Landmark Launch

The launch of the Africa Drought Watch was officiated by:

• H.E. Moses Vilakati, the AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE)
• H.E. Professor Celeste Saulo, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization
• H.E. Salimatta E.T. Touray, Ambassador of the Republic of the Gambia to Ethiopia
• Dr. Gustavo Sobrinho Dgedge, State Secretary of Land and Environment, the Government of the Republic of Mozambique (representing H.E. President Danie Chapo, President of the Republic of Mozambique and the AU Champion of Disaster Risk Management).

H.E. Moses Vilakati, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) said, “The Africa Drought Watch is a continental drought monitoring and early warning service delivering harmonized, actionable drought intelligence. It’s an African-led innovation that strengthens timely, coordinated responses.”

Prof. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), congratulated the AUC on the launch and stated, “The Africa Drought Watch is a crucial, data-driven tool that showcases the multi-stakeholder partnership in drought monitoring. Data is essential in enhancing policy conversations aimed at building and strengthening drought resilience in Africa.”

Shared Best Practices and Commitments

The high-level panel underscored three imperatives: catalysing investment and scalable finance for drought resilience, strengthening the link between drought early warning and anticipatory action, and securing institutional and political alignment around a shared resilience agenda.

Drought resilience best practices were shared from the Republic of The Gambia, the Permanent Inter-State Committee for the Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the African Risk Capacity (ARC), UNDRR, and IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC). Deliberations highlighted the need for global, regional, and national systems, frameworks, and processes to interconnect in order to deliver timely and effective drought interventions.  Financing perspectives highlighted the role of drought risk financing and pooled parametric insurance as vital instruments for pre-arranged financing.

Concrete examples of regional early warning systems included the use of IGAD/ICPAC’s East Africa Drought Watch (EADW), by the governments of Somalia and Djibouti to declare national states of disasters, evidence of how regional systems can directly inform and trigger national interventions.

High-level statements were also made after the launch of the Africa Drought Watch. The speakers included H.E. Ambassador Javier Niño Pérez, European Union Ambassador to the African Union; Dr. Zeynu Ummer, Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resilience Hub for Africa; and Ms. Ria Hidajat, Head of Project, Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA). The partners reiterated their commitment to support the Africa Drought Watch and align resources, financing instruments, and technical cooperation with Africa’s drought resilience priorities.

Drought: A Continental Imperative

Drought remains one of the most devastating and recurring hazards in Africa. Since 2017, at least two African Union Member States have declared national emergencies due to drought every year. Yet, humanitarian appeals meet only a fraction (2 – 30%) of the required needs, underscoring the urgency of systemic drought resilience.

At the Thirty-Eighth (38^th) Ordinary Session of the African Union, held in February 2025, African Heads of State and Government took note of the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters in Africa, including drought. Furthermore, the Assembly recognized the urgent need to strengthen early warning and response mechanisms, a call now advanced through the launch of the ADW.

Quotes from the Launch of the Africa Drought Watch

"The Gambia’s experience and best practices from dealing with drought can enrich dialogue on drought resilience and enhance drought products to raise visibility on the hazard.” – H.E. Salimatta E.T. Touray, Ambassador of the Republic of the Gambia to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union.

“The Africa Drought-Watch is a powerful tool to inform decision-making. UNDRR is supporting the integration of Africa Drought Watch into national systems, and by promoting policy packages and business cases that connect these tools to investments.” – Amjad Abbashar, Chief, Regional Office for Africa, UNDRR.

“We cannot address drought in isolation or as emergency management. It needs to be integrated. We need to look at how we can reduce the loss of livelihoods.”  – Dr. Ahmed Amdihun, Head of the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Unit, IGAD.

With the Africa Drought Watch now launched, leaders affirmed their collective resolve to “halve drought losses and double resilience by 2035”, placing drought resilience at the heart of Africa’s climate and development agenda. A seven-point priority call to action accompanied the event. 

AMHEWAS’ Donors and Implementing Partners

Established under the auspices of the AUC and backed by Italy and UNDRR, the AMHEWAS Programme aims to substantially reduce the effects of disasters across the African continent through increased access to and availability of multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information, including for transboundary risk management.

Sweden and the UNDP supported the initiative through its contributions to the continental assessment of multi-hazard early warning systems and the development of the Africa Institutional and Operational Framework for Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action, both undertaken by the CIMA Research Foundation. This support from Sweden and UNDP has continued since, through dedicated human resources to the Continental Situation Room, technical and financial support for the establishment and operationalization of governance mechanisms, and the implementation of the Programme at regional, national, and local levels.

Angola, Norway, Denmark, the World Bank, and the European Union (EU) have also joined the path to contribute to the protection of lives and economic assets of Africa by supporting the AMHEWAS programme.

For further information, please contact:

Mrs. Teresa Pinto, Technical Coordinator, Disaster Risk Reduction Unit | Directorate of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy | African Union Commission | E-mail: PintoT@africanunion.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ms. Viola Otieno, Early Warning and Early Action Expert (Drought and Wildfires), AMHEWAS Programme | Directorate of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy | African Union Commission | E-mail: OtienoV@africanunion.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

For media enquiry:

Mr Molalet Tsedeke | Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission
Tel: +251-911-630 631 | E-mail: MolaletT@africanunion.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ms. Maryanne Muriuki, Communications Analyst – Disaster Risk Reduction | Disaster Risk Reduction Unit | African Union Commission | E-mail: MuriukiM@africanunion.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia