World Meteorological Organization to Enhance Digital Transformation of Hydrometeorological Services in Africa

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Addis Ababa /ENA/ February 13/2023 The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in collaboration with the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute (EMI) is holding its regional conference to enhance digital transformation of the hydrometeorological services in Africa.

The use of modern digital technology has unexploited potential to offer through the value chain of climate services including in fields such as data collection, dissemination and personalization of services.

Addressing the occasion, State Minister of Water and Energy Abraha Adugna said the information from meteorology and climate is basic parameters to achieve the nation’s ambitions in various fronts.

Stating that lots of experiences will be shared among countries in the conference; he said “As Ethiopians, we will use those experiences for the next development plans.”

“We are running a climate resilient green economy. That is one of the areas that we need information from climate and meteorology.”

“For this and other purposes we need information from climate and meteorology. So the workshop will give the opportunity to get the good experiences from African countries as well as from other countries around the world.”

WMO assistant Secretary General Wenjian Zhang said for his part African region permanent representatives meet together which they can address the challenges, and opportunities from their country’s perspective.

For the assistant Secretary General, he expects the conference to promote further the partnership with regional key partners.

The main objective of the conference is to strengthen observation network. Observation network is used to enhance and deliver meteorological and hydrological services, the Director General of Ethiopian Meteorological Institute Fetene Teshome said.

He further stressed that the discussion mainly focuses on how can we strengthen the service delivery system in Africa.

The 5 days conference will draw a strategic plan to enhance the capacities of hydrometeorological services in Africa and partnerships on infrastructural strength of national meteorological and hydrological services.

Accordingly, the conference with the participation of global and regional experts and decision makers from Africa will discuss partnerships in enhancing communication in service delivery, capacity development, research and innovation and early warning in Africa.

It is to be recalled that United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres had unveiled its early warnings for all: Executive action plan 2023–2027 that calls for a targeted investment of 3.1 billion USD at a high-level COP27 meeting in Egypt last November.

It will cost the equivalent of just 50 cents per person per year for the next five years to reach everyone on Earth with early warnings against increasingly extreme and dangerous weather, World Meteorological Organization stated.

Ethiopian News Agency
2023