WE, the Ministers responsible for meteorology in Africa, meeting virtually for the fifth session of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) on 17 March 2021:
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Note with concern, the challenges posed by COVID-19 on the operations of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) including cost-recovery disruptions from the aviation sector;
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Recognize the unprecedented increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events and impacts of climate change and the need to address them if Africa is to meet the desired targets of the African Union Agenda 2063, the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction, and UN Agenda 2030 on the Sustainable Development Goals;
Acknowledge that NMHSs are essential in, among others, the provision of early warnings for natural disasters and attendant hazards, resilience of climate sensitive sectors and socio-economic development of countries and require more support to enable them to fulfil their national mandates, regional and global obligations;
Concerned with observation and infrastructure gaps in Africa limiting the capacity of NMHSs services to deliver tailored weather, water and climate services to all users and for effective adaptation to climate and resilience actions;
Conscious of the value of data in generating hydrometeorological information;
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Welcoming the establishment of the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in collaboration with international organizations, including the members of the Alliance for Hydromet Development;
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Decide to:
Urge bilateral and multilateral development partners as well as climate finance partners to consider funding the SOFF initiative.
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Adopted 17 March 2021
