The newly started project will focus on improving hydrological and climate information as well as IT infrastructure and will be carried out in conjunction with three implementing partners having an existing cooperation agreement with SMHI. These are the:
- Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity (MoWIE)
- National Meteorological Agency (NMA)
- Ministry Of Environment, Forest And Climate Change (MEFCC)
– SMHI will assist in developing forecasts and warning systems. We will also contribute to the development of climate-related infrastructure, with the aim of providing better information on climate change, future water resources and vulnerability, says Bode Gbobaniyi, Climate Expert at SMHI.
– SMHI has had previous international cooperations supporting development and strengthening of operational water and climate information services in Africa and the Middle East. One example is the long standing cooperation with the Department of Meteorological Services (DMS) and Department of Water Affairs (DWA), our sister authorities in Botswana. We have recently completed the second phase of a project with DWA aimed at strengthening operational alert capacity, says Cristina Alionte Eklund, Product Manager for Capacity Development and International Hydrology, at SMHI.
– There is ongoing dialogue with DWA on a continuation where we take the cooperation a step further on to flood risks with linkage to disaster management, Cristina adds.
Project with many perspectives
The project will, in addition to strengthening water and climate information services, also address how water and climate information is communicated and disseminated between relevant authorities in, for example, the water, agriculture and energy sectors.
– We are working with several perspectives on capacity development encompassing a wide range of questions and needs, from technical infrastructure to institutional issues, such as skills supply and cooperation agreements between the authorities, says Cristina Alionte Eklund.
During weeks 8 and 9, experts from SMHI visited Addis Ababa on a first inception phase mission. The SMHI team met with Ethiopian counterparts to collaborate on a needs analysis and define in detail the upcoming activities to take place during the implementation phase.