The Sierra Leone Meteorological Agency (SLMet), with support from the World Meteorological Organization and the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative's West Africa project , has validated its new Strategic Plan and Action Plan for the period 2026-2031, providing a comprehensive roadmap to enhance meteorological and climate services across Sierra Leone.
The Strategic Plan was developed through a participatory process involving government institutions, technical agencies, civil society organizations, academia, and development partners. Stakeholders shared their needs and priorities to ensure that the plan responds to the country's increasing demand for weather, climate and early warning services in support of disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, food security, aviation safety, water management, public health and sustainable development.
Validated at a workshop on 25 September 2026, the Strategic Plan comes at a critical time for Sierra Leone, where floods, landslides, droughts, coastal hazards and extreme weather events continue to threaten lives, livelihoods and economic development. It recognizes the need for accurate, timely, relevant and accessible weather and climate information to support decision-making by government agencies, communities and economic sectors.
The plan's vision is that, by 2031, citizens, institutions and the economy of Sierra Leone will be more resilient to severe weather and climate-related hazards through the effective use of high-quality, timely and accessible weather, climate and early warning services.
To achieve this vision, the strategy is built around five strategic goals, supported by a detailed Action Plan outlining activities, expected outputs, performance indicators and implementation priorities for the plan period.
Addressing critical capacity gaps
The Strategic Plan identifies significant institutional, human-resource and infrastructure needs that must be addressed to enable SLMet to fulfill its national mandate effectively. The assessment highlighted the need for additional meteorologists and technical specialists, expansion and modernization of observation networks, enhanced forecasting capabilities, improved data management systems and stronger information dissemination mechanisms.
The Plan prioritizes investments in observation infrastructure, operational forecasting systems, climate data management, implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS) and strengthening of WMO Information System (WIS) capabilities. It also recognizes the importance of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to improve service delivery.
Supporting national development priorities
The Strategic Plan is fully aligned with Sierra Leone's Medium-Term National Development Plan 2024-2030 and supports broader national objectives related to food security, disaster risk reduction, renewable energy, climate resilience and sustainable economic growth. It also responds to international frameworks and commitments, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Sustainable Development Goals, Early Warnings for All and WMO strategic priorities.
Strengthening partnerships for sustainable implementation
A key element of the Strategic Plan is the strengthening of partnerships with national institutions, development partners, academia, the private sector, civil society organizations and regional and international organizations. Stakeholder consultations highlighted the importance of collaboration in resource mobilization, data sharing, capacity development and the co-development of user-oriented weather and climate services.
Looking ahead
The validated Strategic Plan and Action Plan provide SLMet with a clear framework for institutional strengthening and modernization over the coming five years. Through enhanced partnerships, targeted investments and improved service delivery, Sierra Leone aims to build a stronger national meteorological service capable of supporting climate resilience, sustainable development and the protection of lives and livelihoods from weather and climate-related hazards.
