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By
Friday Phiri
PARIS,
France (PAMACC News) - The World Bank in partnership
with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Meteorological
Organisation has announced a six hundred million programme to improve
hydrometeorological services in 15 West African countries.
The Programme dubbed, Strengthening Climate Change and
Disaster Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa, aims at improving meteorological
services in Africa where most countries have poor infrastructure and lack
modern technology for reliable and timely capture and transmission of meteorological
information to the public.
In his opening remarks during a side
event at the on-going Climate Change conference in Paris, Jeremiah Lengoasa,
Deputy Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation bemoaned the
poor infrastructure and technological capacity of most meteorological
departments in Africa.
“These services are key to
strengthening resilience to climate change by providing early warning
services... But the truth is that most meteorological services in the region
are not able to provide the requisite information for decision making, not
because of their own making but due to lack of infrastructure and modern
technology to deliver reliable services”, said Mr. Lengoasa.
According to Mr. Lengoasa, the
Programme is therefore aimed at improving capacity pinned on three principles:
improving national meteorological services competence, regional competence and
partnerships of various players in the meteorological services chain.
He said it was unfortunate that some
programmes are designed in the context of leaving a legacy rather than the
consideration of partnerships which is a key element to attract investment and
sustainability.
“A lot of initiatives are being done
without partnerships but based on legacy…but this initiative is an investment
initiative that, if well coordinated, should achieve a step change”, Mr.
Leongasa said.
And speaking at the same function,
AfDB Vice President Aly Abou-Saaba said the programme responds in a timely
manner as Africa is already struggling with effects of climate change, adding
that the intervention resonates well with the CLIMDEV initiative that the Bank
is supporting to modernize both country and regional meteorological services in
Africa.
“Most of you who have been following our side events know
that the Bank has pledged doubling of its support to climate initiatives up to
40%. However, this will only happen if the countries involved also contribute
some marching grants. This will help create a good sense of ownership of the
programme”, said Mr. Abou-Saaba.
Meanwhile, delivering her Keynote, Laura Tuck, Vice
President of the World Bank Group highlighted the serious challenges that the
African continent faces due to climate change and the danger of millions of
slipping back into poverty if measures to help them to adapt are not put in
place.
“Africa has been experiencing a steady growth for the past
decade but this growth is under threat… As many as 100 million people could
slide into extreme poverty due to climate change”, said Ms. Tuck highlighting
the findings of a recent report by the Bank, entitled, ‘Shock waves’.
Ms. Tuck said serious investments are required in the
meteorological services in Africa adding that only ten percent of the World
Bank’s 500 million dollar support to meteorological services globally, goes to
Africa.
Echoing the importance of reliable weather services to
climate change adaptation, French Minister of Development and Francophonie,
Annick Girardin, said it was hard to imagine a world without weather forecast
information.
“Weather forecast is the first step to climate change
adaptation. Being without weather forecast is in itself a serious
vulnerability”, Ms. Girardin said.
And on its part, the Economic Community of Western African
States (ECOWAS), the hydromet programme is a timely intervention in a region
where floods and drought are synonymous with a normal way of life.
“Prevention is only possible through
reliable information. ECOWAS is the most vulnerable region of Africa to
floods”, said ECOWAS Commissioner, Fatimata Dia Sow, on a high level panel
discussion which included Ms. Aida Diongue Niang, Director of the National
Agency for Civil Aviation and Meteorology in Senegal, Mr. Djibrilla Maiga, Director
General of Mali Meteo, and Dr. Richard Jones, a Science Fellow at the United
Kingdom’s Met Office, who all shared critical insights into the importance of
reliable meteorological information for climate change and disaster resilience.
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