The fourth ACMAD-ClimSA Project Steering Commitee Meeting

As a national security crisis in some countries, climate change is being address by raising awareness on its impacts, delivering early warnings and climate information services to build resilience and support adaptation.

Intra-ACP Climate Services and related Applications (ClimSA) is a flagship programme funded by the 11^th European Development Fund to support sustainable development through strengthening of climate services value chain by providing technical, financial assistance and capacity building.

In March 2021, the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development started implementation of a project under the ClimSA programme at continental level through a grant with the African Union Commission as Contracting Authority.  

The ACMAD grant focuses on climate services generation and applications in the agriculture, water, health, disaster risk reduction sectors.  The project is being implemented under five main outputs including:

• Structured user interfaces for agriculture, water, health and disasters
• Better climate services generated and delivered
• Improved access to climate data and information
• Enhanced capacity to generate and use climate products
• Climate services integrated in policy and decision processes

Through ACNAD/ClimSA, three User Interface Platforms have been established and are being operationalized at the continental level for agriculture and food security, Disaster risk reduction and health. Given the significant losses and damages due to extreme events and the disruptions on the water cycle with drought impacts, two sub UIPs on infrastructure resilience and integrated and sustainable water resource management under DRR and agriculture UIPs respectively have been initiated.  The WMO designated Regional Climate Centre for all Africa continued operating and services to UIPs developed and delivered. ACMAD is upgrading its data infrastructure with Climate and PUMA stations and preparation for the demonstration phase to become a Data Collection and Production Centre (DCPC) of the WMO Information System for Africa.  On the job training and secondments, internships, refresher courses, workshops, twining exercises, Pre-fora competency trainings, briefings and debriefings on outlooks, advisories, watches, alerts and warnings are organized improve impact-based forecasting for warning, preparedness planning and anticipatory action.  To accelerate mainstreaming of climate information in climate negotiations and development policies, ACMAD attends UNFCCC Conference of Parties with side events and high-level session statements on progress on implementation of the Paris Agreement, challenges, lessons learnt, key messages highlighting the urgency for climate action and perspectives for next year. ACMAD addresses AUC and ACP member countries ambassadors committee and sub-committees on environment and sustainable development to mobilize policy makers to prioritize establishment and operationalization of funding mechanisms to support climate action.  ACMAD’s statements also call for institutional strengthening for African institutions to become accredited and executing entities of climate funds.