The African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) has reiterated the need to include Meteorology (Weather and Climate) in the established African Union (AU) Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment for harmonious coordination of Meteorological and Hydrological services for the region.

The Director of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) Secretariat in Geneva, Dr Joseph Romanus Mukabana, who is also the Director of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Office for Africa and Least Developed Countries, (AFLCD), expressed this in Geneva, Switzerland, while highlighting the importance of the Weather and Climate information and Services provided by the WMO National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the amelioration of impacts of natural disasters caused by Weather and Climate extremes to the vulnerable communities in Africa.

According to Dr Mukabana, the inclusion of Meteorology (Weather and Climate), in the established Specialized Technical Committees of the African Union, is vital, considering their importance to human lives in the region. “It is my candid hope that at the inaugural Conference of the Committees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment, scheduled for 5th – 9th October 2015, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Weather and Climate issues will be made a cardinal part of the operational modality of the Union (AU)”, he maintained.

It will be recalled that in April 2010, the First Conference of Ministers Responsible for Meteorology in Africa, through the Nairobi Declaration, established the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) as a high-level policy mechanism for the development of meteorology and its applications in Africa. AMCOMET is the inter-governmental authority on Meteorology in Africa.

The vision of AMCOMET is to have a framework for cooperation in the areas of security, socio-economic development and poverty eradication on a pan-African level through sound governance and the application of the science of meteorology and its related applications on the continent.

If Meteorology (Weather and Climate services) becomes a part of the Specialized Technical Committees of the African Union (AU), it will benefit from the relevant strategic review of the Union goals that will facilitate mutual accountability, synergies, linkages and complementarities for overarching targets for Africa Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation (3AGT) agenda.

Shedding light on the Conference, Dr. Mukabana said that the Inaugural Conference of the Specialized Technical Committees, will have Ministerial segment that will be held on 8th and 9th October 2015, which will provide a platform for the Chair of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET), His Excellency Dr Emanuel Antero Veiga, Minister of Environment, Housing and Land Management, Republic of Cabo Verde, to speak on the benefits in the inclusion of Meteorology (Weather and Climate services) in the established African Union (AU) Specialized Technical Committee. “The Ministerial session will be preceded by a two day meeting of Senior Officials/Experts that will take place on 5th and 6th October 2015”, he explained.

For more Information contact:

AMCOMET Secretariat:
World Meteorological Organization
7 bis, avenue de la Paix – P.O. Box 2300
CH 1211 Geneva 2 – Switzerland
Tel.:  +41 (0) 22 730 8513
Fax:  +41 (0) 22 730 8053
Email: amcomet[at]wmo.in

Kosmos E. Akande-Alasoka
Public Information Officer
African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET).
World Meteorological Organization
7 bis, avenue de la Paix
P.O. Box 2300
CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Office Tel. +41 (0) 22 730 8097
Email: kakande-alasoka@wmo.int
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