Implementation of the operational programme for Africa in the field of climate watch and numerical forecast with ::
·Training of professional meteorologists and hydrologists sent by the national offices of the member countries, on operational techniques for the follow-up and forecast of weather and climate.
Constitution of a partnership environment favouring development
It has been possible to involve rapidly many African countries in this programme. They have benefited from technology transfer and from a very evolutionary know-how in this field at the world level, mainly transmitted through the various centres and institutions of international or regional level, such as METEO-FRANCE, UKMO, NOAA /NWS, NCEP, IRI, NOAA/OGP, ECMWF, OU/CIMMS, IGBP/START / MEDIAS/PACOM, AGRHYMET, ICRISAT, DMCs.
This phase mainly aimed at enhancing the capacities of the national meteorological offices. The main activities are :
· Weather watch through numerical weather forecasts at different terms and scales (implementation of a programme of numerical forecast linked to the limited-area model of the NCEP, as a core of a more ambitious programme) and elaboration of specialised reports on significant phenomena;
·Climate watch, partly through seasonal forecast: the successful experiment of seasonal forecast in Western Africa is being extended to other regions;
·Developing the AMEDIS communication system, which offers to the member countries a full integrated system of data collection and analysis, and computer and communication equipment;
·Broadcasting new information and communication technologies for everyone (RANET project: "communication through rural radio and internet"), which aims at providing meteorology products to end users.
"ACMAD really succeeded in opening up a new way for development. The keywords are: networking, close links with national meteorological offices and approach of customer satisfaction. The thought that the working force should be supplied by the member countries in order to make sure it corresponds to the national needs is wonderful, simple, frank but also powerful and it teaches a lesson to the pessimists as for Africa's future."
(D. Marbouty, METEO-France)
"ACMAD acknowledges that it is of the utmost importance for the hydrometeorological services to develop their network of users. The challenge is to manage that all people in Africa should be able to get the information which enable them to make the decisions which influence and improve their way of life."
(D.Larson, USNational Meteorological Service)
Objective
Developing the new skills and tools created by ACMAD and obtaining the regular distribution of its outputs to the member countries in charge of improving and extending them to their own benefit.
Approach
·Associating ACMAD, NMHS's (National Meteorologic and Hydrological Services), users and actors of development into a consortium favouring the exchange of "grey matter" in order to use the climate as a resource for development, transforming the ACMAD centre into a centre of excellence for climate analysis and forecast and for the watch of global climate changes and their impacts on the continent;
·Integrating the products into a set including the various spatio-temporal dimensions and scales, thus providing several facets of meteorological information to the user;
·Posing as representative and direct parner of world programmes regarding climate and weather issues at the continental level and their socio-economic impacts.
Implications
Computer installations shall be improved and regional expertise regarding diagnosis and climate forecast shall be developed;
·An internal "logic of doing" has to be developed in order to supply the national meteorological offices with high-performance products at the lowest price;
·The mobilisation of the member countries and partners shall be reinforced to get the necessary resources;
·The training of users, decision-makers and other actors of development shall be improved, so as to exploit meteorological data and define a methodology for their use whenever they are constraints for a sustainable development of a social or economic sector of a country or a region.
By the year 2010
The ACMAD members are bound to play a decisive part for the future of ACMAD and the leadership of its programme. The creation of an ACMAD foundation could enable to mobilise new resources from various origins and to improve the management of human and financial resources thanks to a better visibility.
The scientific board shall be broadened to a network of skills which shall meet regularly to orient the action of ACMAD and contribute to broadcasting the know-how and to developing the scientific co-operation within Africa itself and between Africa and the world.
The professionals sent in secondment shall have to play an essential part as regards meteorological action to enhance development in their countries and in the continent, and shall be real actors of development.