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October 30,2024

Angola Hosts First National Climate Outlook Forum to Bolster Climate Resilience

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Climate Services Centre, in partnership with Angola's National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics (INAMET), convened Angola’s First National Climate Outlook Forum (NCOF) from October 28-30, 2024, in Luanda. This forum aims to empower Angola’s capacity to generate and leverage climate services effectively. Themed "In the Frontline of Climate Action to Deliver Services in Angola," the event emphasizes the importance of collaboration among climate experts, policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders, laying the groundwork for stronger climate resilience across multiple sectors.

Participants from diverse fields such as agriculture, water resources, energy, health, and disaster risk management attended, as did representatives from international organizations involved in climate services and resilience initiatives. This gathering underscores the necessity of collective action to mitigate climate change impacts.

In her opening address, Ms. Surekha Ramessur, Senior Programme Officer for Meteorology at the SADC Climate Services Centre, addressed the gravity of the current El Niño event, which has intensified drought across Southern Africa, including Angola. Ms. Ramessur highlighted that drought emergencies have already been declared in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Angola and Mozambique also face significant drought-induced food insecurity, with around 1.8 million people in Angola at risk according to a recent FEWSNET report. Additionally, hydropower generation challenges have led to increased load-shedding across the region.

Ms. Ramessur further outlined the ClimSA (Climate Services for Africa) program’s contributions in Angola, focusing on enhancing engagement through User Interface Platforms (UIPs). Developed at both regional and national levels, these UIPs foster collaboration among climate service providers, researchers, and end-users, aligning with the World Meteorological Organization’s Global Framework for Climate Services. In March 2024, the second workshop facilitated by ClimSA helped map Angola's climate services landscape and identify priority areas for UIP implementation, which provided valuable insights for a coordinated climate service framework tailored to Angola’s needs.

Key objectives for the NCOF include strengthening national climate services by building INAMET's expertise and establishing National User Interface Platforms (NUIPs) specifically designed for priority areas in agriculture and water. A seasonal climate outlook for Angola will also be released at the forum, developed in collaboration with various stakeholders. This forecast will support strategies in agriculture, water, energy, and disaster risk reduction, fortifying Angola’s climate resilience.

Furthermore, the forum will adapt the SARCOF-29 regional forecast to the national level, creating specific seasonal outlooks for the sub-seasons from October 2024 to March 2025. By co-developing customized climate products with stakeholders in key sectors, the NCOF aims to ensure the climate information provided is actionable and sector-relevant. This collaborative initiative underscores Angola's commitment to enhancing climate preparedness and adapting to climate variability effectively.