Ghana gets early warning system road map

A road map for the implementation of a robust early warning system (EWS) for disaster mitigation in the country has been developed and will be rolled out within one month.

The Director-General of the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), Dr Eric Asuman, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the roadmap would not only become the source document for the implementation of the EWS but also address gaps in disseminating climate and weather information for prompt response.

Again, he said the road map, which was coordinated by the World Food Programme (WFP) had provided modalities for mobilising resources both locally and internationally for implementing the EWS.

“Hopefully, the road map will be ready in one month and we are comfortably within the deadline of 2027 set by the UN for all countries to set up the EWS.

“So, by the next three years, we will have fully fledged implementation of EWS where information will reach every citizen across the country,” he said.

Strategic plan
Dr Asuman made this known at a side event at the ongoing 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Baku, Azerbaijan.

The event, dubbed Africa Ministerial Conference on Meteorology, was held at the African Union Pavilion, where the strategic plan for mobilisation of resources and implementation of the EWS was launched.

The event was hosted by GMet in collaboration with WMO and the AU.
It provided an opportunity for the various countries to network, share ideas and discuss the progress of work on the establishment of EWS.

Context

At COP27, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called on all countries to put in place early warning systems (EWS) for disaster prevention by 2027.

At COP28, GMet and United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the National Development Planning Commission (UNDP) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) met and discussed the way forward for establishing the EWS in the country.

The EWS thrives on four pillars, which are risk knowledge and vulnerability analysis; monitoring, observation, analysis and forecast of extreme weather events; communicating weather information; and disaster risk preparedness and response.

On October 29, the Early Warning for All initiative was launched in Ghana.

Collective efforts
Dr Asuman said there was a coordinated approach for implementation of the EWS, involving stakeholders such as GMet, EPA, NDPC, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Ghana Hydrological Authority (GHA), the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA), Water Resources Commission (WRC).

He said the harmonisation of efforts by the related bodies would provide a solid ground for resource mobilisation.

“If we put together a proposal involving all these stakeholders, it makes it easier to attract funding from institutions than working in silos.

We need to break the glass and get all the institutions to work together for a seamless EWS for all,” he said.

Way forward

A Programme Manager at WMO Africa Regional Office, Dr Mariane Diop, said it was worrying that only 40 per cent of Africa’s population had access to EWS,, especially so when African economies and livelihoods were heavily depended on agriculture.

She added that since African countries were threatened by the impact of climate change – exemplified by floods, dry spells, droughts, erratic rainfalls and hotter temperatures, it was important for the populations to have access to rapid information on related disasters to save lives.

“It is important that all stakeholders work on EWS together so that the relevant information can reach the local communities where it is needed most,” she said.