The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), together with partners under the Water at the Heart of Climate Action (WHCA) project , convened a four-day technical workshop in Kigali, Rwanda, from 27 to 30 April 2026, to strengthen flood early warning and anticipatory action across the Nile Basin.
The workshop, titled "Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment, Advancing Multi-Hydrological Model and Interoperable Platform for Flood Early Warning and Anticipatory Action in the Nile Basin," brought together around 50 participants from Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda. Participants included representatives of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, disaster risk management authorities, Red Cross societies, regional centres, and technical partners.
Organized under the WHCA project, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the workshop marked an important step from technical design toward validation, user feedback, and operational planning. The discussions focused on connecting three critical elements of effective early warning systems: risk knowledge, multi-model hydrological forecasting, and interoperable visualization of forecast and risk information for decision-making.
A key focus was the development of a regional multi-model hydrological forecasting system, bringing together existing models. Rather than relying on a single model, the approach aims to use the strengths of different models to provide more reliable guidance for flood preparedness and early action. Participants reviewed model performance using national observations and discussed how country-level validation can improve the accuracy and relevance of forecasts.
The workshop also reviewed progress on an interoperable visualization platform hosted by ICPAC . The platform is intended to bring together hydrological and meteorological monitoring, forecasts, model outputs, gauging station data, rainfall information, risk layers, and bulletin products in one interface. Participants tested the prototype and provided feedback on usability, data layers, map presentation, chart clarity, administrative boundaries, export functions, and user access needs.
In parallel, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) led sessions on multi-hazard risk assessment, including hazard, exposure, vulnerability, capacity, and risk mapping. These sessions supported the shift from forecasting "what the weather will be" to forecasting "what the weather will do," helping countries link hydrological forecasts with potential impacts on people, infrastructure, and livelihoods.
The workshop further advanced discussions on a regional hydro-meteorological advisory bulletin for the Nile Basin. The proposed bulletin would provide regional guidance to support, not replace, national warning products. National agencies would remain central in reviewing, validating, and tailoring the information to national contexts, while ICPAC would support regional consolidation and dissemination. A semi-weekly production cycle was discussed for the pilot phase.
By the end of the workshop, participants agreed on a roadmap for May to July 2026. Key actions include finalizing reporting and forecasting points, sharing updated national data for model validation, refining the visualization platform, improving bulletin formats, consulting disaster management and Red Cross stakeholders on risk information, and preparing for operational testing during the 2026 rainy season.
The workshop reaffirmed the importance of regional cooperation in the Nile Basin, where upstream rainfall and river conditions can affect downstream flood risk across borders. It also emphasized the need for strong national ownership, sustained data exchange, and close collaboration between hydrometeorological agencies, disaster management authorities, and humanitarian actors.
Through WHCA, WMO and partners will continue supporting countries to strengthen end-to-end early warning systems that are technically robust, user-oriented, and actionable. The next phase will focus on further validation, operational testing, and preparation for a follow-up workshop planned for July 2026.
