The Director of the WMO Regional Office for Africa, Dr Agnes Kijazi, led a team of experts from the WMO regional office on a one-day operational synergy retreat with the WMO Regional Association I President in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The retreat, which took place on 12 August 2023, covered presentations on the role of the Regional Office in support of the functions of the President, Procedures for the nomination of Experts in Committees and Working Groups, critical Capacity Gaps and Regional Priorities.

Dr Kijazi and the team also took the President through technical issues related to Infrastructure, Services, Hydrology and Capacity Development/Research, specifically for preparing WMO Sessions, preparing Permanent Representatives (PRs) for their effective participation in WMO sessions and monitoring and evaluation mechanism of the RA I implementation plan. The president was also introduced to important documents to support the effective performance of his duties.

While welcoming the President, Dr. Kijazi indicated that ‘the Regional Office for Africa prepared the session with the President as part of the Regional Office's responsibility to support the work of the President. We are privileged that the office of the President and the Regional Office are both in Addis Ababa; please be free to reach out for any support you may require’ she urged.

Speaking at the end of the retreat, the President of the RA I and Permanent Representation (PR) of Ethiopia with WMO, Mr, Fetene Teshome, applauded the initiative of the Regional Office in providing this needed support and guidance for the operation of the Office of the President RA I which he noted were crucial to enhance his activities and performance as the President of the Region.

The Ethiopian Meteorological Institute (EMI) and the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia will continue to provide the needed support and collaboration required by the WMO Regional Office to perform its role of representing Members to the WMO secretariat and representing the WMO Secretariat to Members, he added.