18 February 2015: The Third Session of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET-3) adopted the Praia Ministerial Declaration, reaffirming the need to support National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) with adequate resources and institutional frameworks. The African Ministers responsible for meteorology also endorsed plans for a Regional Climate Centre (RCC) for Central Africa.

Hosted in Praia, Cape Verde, on 13-14 February 2015, AMCOMET-3 focused on improved weather and climate services in the face of a changing climate. In the Declaration, the Ministers renew their commitment to NMHSs to bolster resilience to climate change and extreme weather, and to support national development. As emphasized by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General Michel Jarraud, weather and climate services deliver socioeconomic benefits and support sustainable development.

The Praia Ministerial Declaration also highlights the role of the ‘Implementation and Resource Mobilization Plan of the Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology,’ as an important tool for enhancing the delivery of weather and climate services. It further lauds the successful implementation of the WMO’s Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP) for improved information in early warning forecasts for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in southern and eastern Africa, urging replication in other sub-regions.

The RCC for Central Africa will follow the model of such centers in other sub-regions, consolidating research and forecasting capabilities. During the session, AMCOMET also: supported the creation of the Climate Research for Development (CR4D), as a partnership among the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), AMCOMET and WMO; discussed ensuring the meteorological community’s interests are reflected in the draft pan-African Space Policy and Strategy, which a taskforce will continue working on in greater depth; and reviewed progress on African countries’ compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and WMO technical regulations on Quality Management Systems (QMS), which the Declaration agreed to elevate to national agendas.

In addition to its work on the Declaration and cooperative activities in the region, the conference approved AMCOMET’s budget and constitution. AMCOMET was established in 2010 under the auspices of the WMO and the African Union Commission (AUC). The next AMCOMET session will be held in Tunisia in 2016. [WMO Press Release] [Draft Praia Ministerial Declaration] [AMCOMET Website]