- Capacity Development
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Governance
- Observations
- Data Management
- Forecasting
- Service Delivery
- Early Warnings
Project background
The CREWS Initiative helps least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) improve the delivery of hydrometeorological and climatological services and increase their capacity to produce and disseminate effective, multi-hazard, impact-based early warnings to protect people, property and livelihoods. (LDC: least developed country. SIDS: Small Island Developing States).
CREWS Central Africa will strengthen climate change adaptation and disaster risk management. It will involve:
- Improving the regional cooperation frameworks and capabilities for observation, data exchange, forecasting of climate and weather with a focus on hazards such as severe weather events, flooding and climate extremes (e.g drought);
- Supporting dissemination, emergency planning and response capacities in each of the beneficiary countries;
- Leveraging, supporting and guiding investments from the EU (SEWA - 2 mill USD), WB (in Chad, CAR , Rwanda-and DRC-10 mill USD).
Objective(s)
To enhance national early warning systems, with a multi-hazard, impact-based and seamless approach, based upon strong regional cooperation, in 11 Central African countries.
Outputs
Institutional and human capacities in regional and LDCs and SIDS national institutions to provide weather, and hydrological, and warning services are increased.
Output 1 - Central Africa Climate Outlook Forum (PRESAC): Provision of guidance in relation with data rescue, data management, use of global producing centers’ outputs, objective seasonal forecasting and integration of forecasting with a seamless approach improved.
Output 2 - Regional Training Center (RTC): Improved provision of guidance in relation with optimal use of regional training centers by ECCAS Member States, and accreditation of existing training centers.
Output 3 - Regional WIGOS centers (RWC) and Regional instruments center (RIC): Capacities assessed and provision of guidance in relation with optimal use of RWCs by ECCAS Member States ensured.
Output 4 - WMO Information System (WIS): Capacities assessed and guidance provided to ECCAS in relation with enhancing data exchange in Central Africa, including future use of RTH Brazzaville
Output 5 - Severe weather forecasting (SWFP) & data processing and forecasting (GDPFS): Strengthen the Severe Weather Forecasting Programmes (SWFP) led by RSMC Dakar and RSMC Pretoria to enhance lead time, accuracy, and dissemination of high-impact weather forecasts, while equipping and training forecasters. The component also leverages WMO’s SWCEM and the ICA&D
Output 6 - Agricultural monitoring and forecasting: Available new regional products, and training on optimal use, for agriculture on vegetation status, drought indicators, soil moisture evaluation that could be tailored at national level, including training activities (AGRHYMET and ICPAC).
Output 7 - Hydrological services for flood warning (urban, coastal, riverine, flash): Guidance provided to national hydrological services to improve and develop national capacities on hydrological monitoring and flood forecasting with appropriate regional cooperation with AGRHYMET, LCBC, LTA and CICOS (coastal inundation, urban flooding, flash flood and riverine flood).
National outputs
Output 1 - NMHS EWS delivery improved, including the development of long-term service delivery strategies and development plans.
Output 2 - Information and Communication Technology, including common alerting protocol, strengthened.
Output 3 - Knowledge products and awareness programmes on early warnings developed.
Output 4 - Gender-sensitive training, capacity building programmes provided.
Achievements
Significant progress has been made toward enhancing hydrometeorological and early warning services in Central Africa. The Implementation Plans for improving these services have been revised and formally adopted by Member States, marking an important step toward coordinated regional action:
- The consolidation of the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC)–Yaoundé is ongoing, with efforts focused on strengthening its operational capacity and initiating the provision of regional severe weather guidance for Central Africa.
- The development and adaptation of the regional FANFAR hydrological forecasting system for the ECCAS region has been launched in collaboration with AGRHYMET, SMHI, and other regional and national institutions. The system is designed to strengthen near real-time hydrological monitoring and flood forecasting capabilities across Central Africa. Its deployment will be accompanied by targeted capacity-building and training activities to ensure sustainable operation and regional ownership.
- In September 2024, the ECCAS) Situation Room became operational at the Central Africa Climate Application and Prediction Centre (CAPC-AC) in Douala, Cameroon. It is part of the continental AMHEWAS multi-hazard early warning and early action system.
- Sao Tome and Principe has developed its National Strategic Plan (NSP) and Operational Plan to guide the effective implementation of meteorological and hydrological services, ensuring alignment with national and regional priorities.
A series of capacity-building initiatives have been launched to strengthen technical competencies across National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and partner institutions:
- Training activities have been initiated, with staff from ANACIM and DGM Cameroon receiving on-site training supported by AEMET. These trainings are complemented by a Moodle e-learning platform, which is currently being enhanced to facilitate continuous professional development.
- Capacity-building sessions are currently underway on the application of satellite altimetry (in collaboration with LEGOS) and on the use of hydrological satellite products — namely precipitation and soil moisture — from the EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Hydrology (H-SAF) for operational hydrometeorological monitoring. These activities are led by CICOS in collaboration with regional experts from MHSs and River Basin Organizations (RBOs). The training programme includes both in-person Training of Trainers sessions and online courses.
- To reinforce technical expertise, staff from METTELSAT and ISTA received specialized training in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), enhancing their capacity to generate more precise and reliable forecasts. This training has been conducted with the support of EAMAC (Reg Training Center, Vlab Center of Excellence).
- A training programme on agrometeorological services, leveraging the Climate ClimSA Station and the related data and tools developed by EY and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) under the EU-funded Intra-ACP ClimSA project, has been designed and is scheduled to start in 2026. Linkages Between the ClimSA station and the WMO/Climweb supported by NORCAP are foresee.
- Training activities on WMO information and observation systems have been conducted, including a WIGOS workshop (Abuja, May 2024) where Congo and Nigeria were designated as new RWCs to support Central Africa in monitoring observation network performance, and a WIS2 training (Casablanca, November 2024) where five IT and WIS focal points were trained on national WIS2 node implementation to enhance global data exchange and forecasting.
- Region:
- Region I: Africa
Donors
Partners
