The African Union Commission through the financial support of the European Union is investing in 49 sub-Saharan Countries in the form of new Climate and Weather equipment’s better known to the Meteorology community as ClimSA 2025 and PUMA Stations. These systems are the backbone systems that will allow the expert at the African Meteorology Institutions to receive, process, and use high quality weather and climate data for decision making to save lives and live hoods of the citizens. The deployment of infrastructures and capacitation of the NMHS staff is being conducted by the AUC Meteorology (Weather and Climate Services) Unit of the Department of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy and (SEBE), under the initiative called the Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) programme.

Computer system (referenced in the photo) is the advance hardware and softwares that is the reception and processing infrastructure enabling African meteorological services to receive satellite data from the Meteosat Second and Third Generation (MSG/MTG) systems. It’s basically the “antenna and computer brain” that connects African weather services to Europe’s the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).

This quarter three, the AUC Ad hoc Committee conducted the onsite inspection of the PUMA and ClimSA Infrastructures that have been deployed and installed in Malawi; Uganda; Mogadishu- Somalia; Darmstadt- Germany; Kigali- Rwanda; Varese- Italy; and in Nouakchott- Mauritania. The ClimSA programme continues to make an impact to National Meteorologist and Hydrologist Services (NMHSs) in Africa (African Union Member States, Regional Climate Centres, Regional Training Institutions and Partnering Institutions).

Benefit of this new infrastructure to Member States:

The deployment and installation of these infrastructures through ClimSA to the 49 sub-Saharan nations which will primarily contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Africa Agenda 2063 targets, including, but not limited to, Agenda 2063 Goal 7 on environmentally sustainable and climate resilient economies and communities (water security, health, disaster risk reduction, agriculture and food security, energy).

1) Disaster risk reduction and early warning: enabling a country to analysis faster and more accurately climate warnings to help protect lives, property and infrastructures.

2) Economic resilience: will better inform farmers on planting schedules and water management and thus reducing crop losses and boost food security.

3) Climate adaptive policies: agrologist, hydrologist, climatologist and even meteorologist will be able to provide evidence based climate data to policy makers for the purpose of national adaptive plans ensuring feasible strategies are executed on the ground.

4) Data freedom: national and regional experts are now equipped with local data for processing, ensuring sovereignty to critical climate and weather information.

About the AUC ClimSA Programme

Climate shocks have no boundaries, the same goes for the benefits which cut across all sectors of the communities, because this climate information reduces the disproportional impact Africa faces. ClimSA is a EUR 22 million AU flagship initiative that aims to close the climate information services gap in African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries by promoting integrated, end-user-oriented climate services across sectors such as agriculture, health, energy, water, agriculture and disaster risk reduction. It implements the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), through the 11th European Development Fund (11th EDF) it implements continental activities under its five outputs of the programme, as well as leading the implementation of the programme in the ECCAS region.

The ClimSA program achieves this by strengthening the capacities of African Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) of AU Member States to develop, deliver and integrate science-based climate information and predictions into policy and decision-making, development planning and practice at the levels of African continent, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and Member States.

For further information, please contact:

Dr Jolly Wasambo , ClimSA Programme Coordinator, | Directorate of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy | African Union Commission | wasamboj@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 Diana Chacha, Communications and Visibility – ClimSA Programme |  African Union Commission | E-mail: chacha@africanunion.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia