The African Union has urged African nations to improve access to global climate data, emphasizing that timely weather forecasting is critical for early warning systems and disaster response.
The appeal was made on Monday at a joint forum of the Intra-ACP Climate Services (ClimSA) and Africa Early Warning Space (SEWA) programmes in Windhoek,
Namibia. AU Commissioner for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, Moses Vilakati, highlighted the continent’s growing exposure to extreme weather events and called for immediate investments in climate services to protect lives and livelihoods.
He underscored the potential of the Global Universal Access System to provide farmers, meteorologists, scientists, and policymakers with streamlined access to vital forecasting data.
Participants, including African policymakers and representatives from the EU, SADC, and OECD, explored ways to improve data delivery from national, regional, and international sources.
The forum emphasized the need for quick dissemination of climate data in accessible formats and multiple languages to ensure community preparedness.
Namibia was cited as a model for using climate data to manage extreme weather, including floods. Representing Namibia’s Transport Ministry, Sheelongo Jonas stressed the urgency of expanding data access, modernizing observation networks, and enhancing the capacity of regional platforms to reach even the most remote communities.
