The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat is implementing the Intra-African Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) programme across the Southern Africa region.
ClimSA is a six-year project which aims to improve the production, access to and use of climate information, services and applications for decision-makers. The project promotes sustainable development by preventing desertification, protecting ecological biodiversity and managing water resources sustainably in ACP nations. In the SADC Region, the programme is implemented by SADC Secretariat through its Climate Services Centre (CSC), with WS Atkins International (Atkins) providing Technical Assistance. The purpose of the ClimSA programme is to strengthen the climate service value chain through capacity building to support decision-makers at all levels and make effective use of climate information and services. The programme will also provide technical assistance, infrastructure, as well as widen and improve access to climate information and services.
As one of seven regional organisations, SADC Secretariat signed the Contribution Agreement for ClimSA with the EU in October 2019 and launched the programme in April 2021. The total cost of the programme is US$8,748,000 and is funded by the 11th European Development Fund. The ClimSA programme also features a Focus Country, in which some activities will be implemented at the national level. In the SADC Region, Angola has been identified as the first Focus Country.
SADC held the ClimSA inception workshop with Member States, the European Union (EU) Delegation, technical partners and SADC Secretariat stakeholders in September 2021, which formally commenced the implementation of ClimSA in the Region.
Since the inception workshop, key events including conferences and training workshops have provided platforms for assessing the status of climate action in the SADC Region. These events also connected international commitments with regional, national and sub-national initiatives and identified ways to overcome barriers to ensure that Southern Africa can meet its development objectives in the context of a changing climate.
The ClimSA programme was started by the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) in collaboration with the EU and is being carried out by regional organisations in seven different parts of the world. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) are the ClimSA's implementation partners.
Related to the project, is the annual Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF) a key platform which generates a seasonal forecast for the SADC Region and will convene for the 26th time in 2022. SARCOF is led by SADC CSC in collaboration with Member States’ National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS). SARCOF will be enhanced through the ClimSA programme by implementing an objective seasonal forecast methodology and improving user interface platforms, whereby stakeholders from sectors affected by climate interact with the providers of climate information.
