Posted by Sade Williams
The African Union Commission, (AUC) and its Partners, with the support of the Italian Development Cooperation are establishing the African Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AU MHEWAS) to address the urgency and importance of climate impact reduction.
This was disclosed by the director general, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Mansur Bako Matazu at at the Climate Policy Dialogue and Inauguration Ceremony of the Continental Multi-Hazard Advisory Centre, which held in Niamey, Niger Republic on Monday.
The MHEWAS, he said will be coordinated through a Continental Multi-Hazard Advisory Centre which will be inaugurated on Monday at the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) headquarters.
The Centre he said, will provide a few days, weeks, and months lead-time , advisories and watches on heavy rains and floods, high temperatures and heat waves, droughts, cyclones, and significant storms to the AUC Situation Room to guide Disaster Risk Coordination and Management Actions.
According to him, developing countries, most of which are in Africa, have found it difficult to respond adequately to weather and climate induced disasters such as floods, drought, desertification, heat waves, squally winds, tropical cyclones, adding that in recent times, more than ever, GDP, inflation, interest rates, diseases, epidemics, and pandemics are exacerbated or even driven by hydrometeorological events.
To Promote and Support Early Actions against vagaries of weather and changing climate, providing hydrometeorological predictions and advisories with sufficient lead times ahead of these events is of strategic
importance to mitigating the arising threats, build climate resilience and ensure sustainable development.
”To achieve the foregoing, and considering the urgent necessity to address climate threats, crisis, emergencies and disasters on the continent, the African Union Commission, the Regional Economic Communities, and Countries through ACMAD (a continental centre), Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) have concluded steps to build a Support System.
This System is for assessing the State of Climate for Africa, analysing Predictions data, and providing Early Warnings for Early Action as a first line of defence to adapt to climate threats and increase resilience to disasters.
He disclosed that the dialogue for the programe will highlight climate variability and trends, summarize main impacts, and assess responses to disasters in 2021 across Africa.
”The African Union Commission, (AUC) the Regional Economic Communities, and Countries through ACMAD (a continental centre), Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) have concluded steps to build a Support System.
”This System is for assessing the State of Climate for Africa, analysing Predictions data, and providing Early Warnings for Early Action as a first line of defence to adapt to climate threats and increase resilience to disasters.
”Given the urgency and importance of climate impact reduction, the AUC, and Partners, with the support of the Italian Development Cooperation are establishing the African Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AU MHEWAS).”, he said
