Building capacity to develop, communicate and use climate information through the H2020 Co-production of Climate Services for East Africa (CONFER) project

CONFER is an EU-funded research project focusing on climate adaptation through the Co-production of Climate Services for East Africa. The main objective of the project is to co-develop dedicated climate services for the water, energy and food security sectors with stakeholders and end-users, to enhance their ability to plan for and adapt to seasonal climate variability and extremes. This presentation will focus on the training and capacity building component of the project, which aims to build skills and knowledge across a wide range of climate information producers and users. The purpose is to train people in the East Africa region in interpreting and applying climate information and services in a way that benefits and supports resilience against weather and climate variability.

Following a user needs analysis, the WMO designated Regional Climate Centre for East Africa, ICPAC (the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre), with support from the Met Office and NORCAP, developed and delivered Synergy Building training workshops targeting a diverse range of participants in ten countries in the region, namely Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Djibouti, Somalia, Rwanda, and Burundi, with sessions being held in Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti, and Rwanda. The workshops brought together experts and stakeholders from countries based on shared languages to enhance engagement and interaction. Overall, the training workshops empowered 240 participants from different media houses in East Africa, meteorological experts, policymakers, and the private sector, selected by their national institutions. In-person training was delivered alongside online training via a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) developed by BBC Media Action. The MOOC on ‘climate reporting’ for journalists from vernacular radio and national broadcast media across the region, aimed to bridge the ‘last mile’ gap that exists from NMHSs to the user community.

Additional training was also provided to National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) forecasters in the East Africa region via annual “Foundational Seasonal Training”, building capacity on underpinning seasonal forecasting knowledge and techniques. Representatives were then involved in seasonal forecast production at the three annual Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forums (GHACOFs).

CONFER also contributed to the Climate System Analysis Group (CSAG) annual ‘Navigating Climate Risk’ School, a 5-day programme where sector specialists in water and disaster management, agricultural administrators and planners, health workers etc. meet and are trained in how to use climate services effectively, to enable enhanced planning against climate-related risk.