WMO is helping to shape a more climate-resilient future for Africa, but further regionalization is needed as well as investment.
The WMO community has seized the occasion of the Organization's 75th anniversary to reflect on decades of progress in advancing meteorological science, climate monitoring and early warning systems towards disaster risk reduction. This reflection has led to the conclusion that Africa as a whole is grappling with more frequent and intense extreme weather and climate events due to climate change and that further investment is urgently needed.
In recent years, droughts, floods, tropical cyclones, and heatwaves have surged in frequency and severity across Africa, undermining livelihoods, disrupting ecosystems and threatening decades of development gains. Yet, amid these rising risks, a narrative of resilience and innovation is emerging driven by the implementation of early warning systems, regional cooperation and informed policymaking. WMO is taking the lead in shaping a more climate-resilient future for the continent, but further regionalization is needed as well as investment.
The escalating threat
Africa is among the most vulnerable regions to climate change, despite contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions. The continent's exposure to extreme weather and climate events is exacerbated by a high dependence on rain-fed agriculture, rapidly growing populations, under-resourced infrastructure and limited adaptive capacity. Furthermore, weather and climate information and services have not been fully utilized in supporting effective decision-making for national adaptation strategies, disaster management and planning.
The key climate trends include prolonged droughts in the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa, which have resulted in severe crop failures, livestock losses and mass displacements. Many countries have reported a 2%-5% loss in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually and have had to divert up to 9% of their budgets to respond to climate extremes. The 2020-2023 Horn of Africa drought, one of the worst in recorded history, affected over 36 million people. While, in other regions, rapid unplanned urbanization, coupled with inadequate drainage systems, led to devastating floods in cities. In 2022 alone, floods displaced over 1.5 million people in West and Central Africa. Southern Africa has witnessed unprecedented cyclone activity, with Cyclones Idai (2019), Eloise (2021), and Freddy (2023) leaving trails of destruction across Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Increasing temperatures are worsening heat-related illnesses, impacting labour productivity, and exacerbating the spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue.
The WMO coordinated State of the Climate in Africa reports, published annually since 2010, have highlighted these challenges and stimulated efforts to develop and improve climate services in these areas. Many projects and initiatives, launched by WMO and its partners, are showing impacts on the ground: improved climate services for agriculture and health as well as better early warnings systems.
Challenges to climate resilience in Africa
Despite the growing awareness of climate risks and the many ongoing projects, Africa faces several systemic and operational challenges in adapting to climate change. Over 60% of continent lacks adequate weather and climate observation systems. Many National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) remain underfunded and poorly equipped. There is limited access to early warning information and vulnerable communities, particularly in rural and remote areas, often lack timely and accessible climate information tailored to their local context. Low institutional capacity, resulting from gaps in training, data analysis and inter-agency coordination, hinder the effectiveness of disaster risk reduction and adaptation planning.
The situation is further compounded by uncoordinated investment and support for climate-related activities. This has resulted in ineffective delivery of climate services as well as weak integration of climate services into national development and disaster risk management frameworks, limiting sustainable adaptation.
Opportunities on the horizon
While the challenges are significant, Africa also stands at a pivotal moment of opportunity to transform its approach to climate risk management. One of the transformative strategies is the Early Warnings for All initiative, which has become a game-changer. Launched by the United Nations in 2022, the initiative aims to ensure that every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems by 2027. Most of the 30 countries prioritized by the UN for Early Warnings for All initiative are in Africa, thus they are at the forefront of implementation. With support from WMO and partners, national roadmaps have been developed to strengthen early warning infrastructure, build capacity and enhance community preparedness. The initiative has provided NMHSs with an opportunity to co-produce people-centred, impact-based weather and climate products and services with diverse socioeconomic sectors and stakeholders. These services are bridging the gap between scientific data and actionable information for end users. The initiative, and services it generates, re-affirms the NMHSs' role as authoritative voice for national forecast, for climate-smart agricultural advisories, for localized flood alerts via mobile platforms, and as a purveyor of community education programmes that integrate indigenous knowledge.
The WMO State of the Climate in Africa reports have provided annual scientific assessments of key climate trends, sectoral impacts and policy responses across the continent, while Early Warnings for All has started to implement solutions to some of the challenges identified. The reports also offer authoritative data that supports the design of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and climate financing proposals. They shine a light on hotspots of vulnerability to extreme weather and climate events as in Southern Africa, North Africa and Horn of Africa, and stress the importance of urgent mitigation and adaptation measures.
The Road Ahead: A call to action
Africa is witnessing a surge in digital transformation and mobile applications that deliver real-time climate information to farmers, urban planners and emergency responders. Collaboration between African countries is enhancing access to meteorological equipment and training programmes and has stimulated the creation of joint research initiatives, providing an alternative to traditional North-South aid paradigms.
As WMO celebrates 75 years of service, the need for a unified, science-based and inclusive approach to climate resilience in Africa has never been clearer. The continent must build on existing momentum and seize the opportunities presented by global partnerships, digital transformation, and grassroots innovation. Further investments is needed in innovative technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), as well as in hydrometeorological infrastructure and data systems. There is need to ensure that early warning information reaches the most vulnerable in accessible formats and languages for early action. Climate services should be developed for all socioeconomic sectors. Further regional integration is needed as well as of investment. Platforms such as the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) should be encouraged for this purpose.
Africa's climate challenges are vast, but so too are its capacities and aspirations. The continent can be better equipped than ever to forecast risks, protect lives and plan for a sustainable future through the leadership of institutions like the WMO, initiatives such as the Early Warnings for All and reports such as State of the Climate in Africa which outline challenges. As we commemorate WMO's 75 years of service, we must renew the call for action to our governments, communities and partners to ensure that no one is left behind in the face of climate extremes in Africa and around the world.
