A group of climate change scientists from East and Central Africa have urged governments and donors to establish a regional platform aimed at addressing climate-related disasters.
Scientists want an early warning system to help local communities prepare for drought and other climate-related disasters in the region.
The meeting also focused on exploring options to produce a product tailored to local conditions, including parts of the region that were devastated by a severe drought between 2010 and 2011.
Researchers visited a weather centre in Rwanda for an overview of techniques used by Rwanda for weather forecasting and dissemination.
“This project (in Rwanda) shows how a small initial investment in the weather can make a major difference in providing accurate information to prevent another catastrophe,” said John Ntaganda, the president of meteorological services in Rwanda.
Scientists included those from; Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Rwanda.
“It was wonderful to come to Rwanda and see how the government deals with the problem, assuming a leadership role and developing clear strategies for mitigation of climate change,” said Mr. Laban Ogallo.
Mr. Ogallo is the Chief of the Forecast Climate and Applications with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in the regional bloc.
The scientists also stressed the need to increase food production in the region to meet the needs of the growing population of Africa.
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