African Development Bank, SOFF sign Letter of Intent to support Africa’s low-income countries to achieve effective multi-hazard early warning systems

The African Development Bank Group and the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF), a United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund, today signed a letter of intent to strengthen collaboration on the provision of early warning systems in the continent’s most vulnerable countries.

The agreement, signed on the margins of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, marks a new step in the Bank’s efforts to promote partnerships to help countries tackle climate change. The letter was signed by African Development Bank Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, and Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General World Meteorological Organization Co-Chair SOFF Steering Committee.

The parties will collaborate on actions through the African Development Bank’s Climate Action Window, set up by the African Development Fund under its 16th replenishment cycle, to help fill Africa's significant climate finance gap.

The agreement notes the important role of national meteorological and hydrological services for the provision of weather and climate observations and forecasts and warnings that are essential to the safety and well-being of African people and communities and the protection of property.

It said significant data gaps exist in Africa in harnessing data for Climate Action. According to the World Meteorological Organizations’ Global Basic Observation Networks (GBON) baseline of 2023, Africa’s Low-Income Countries have a GBON compliance rate of 4% for surface observations and 3% for upper air observations.

SOFF already supports 23 countries in Africa with $62 million to bridge the gap in observational data which significantly limits the ability to produce timely and accurate forecasts, early warnings, and climate prediction across the continent.

Under the agreement the Bank and SOFF will:

• Convene joint AfDB-SOFF events on advocacy and resource mobilization for investments in Early Warning for All
• Jointly advocate the importance of investments in NMHS capacity
• Co-organize at least every two years a joint workshop to track progress that brings together beneficiary countries, operational partners as well and bilateral and multilateral development and climate finance partners.
• Build capacity and technical assistance to close the early warning gaps in Africa, including monitoring of the Climate Action Window and SOFF investments

Both organizations are committed to providing resources to support the activities outlined in the Letter of Intent.

The Climate Action Window has already made available $321.8 million in funding for investments that strengthen early warning systems in 37 regional member countries of the Bank Group.

SOFF was co-created in 2021 by the WMO, UNDP and UNEP at the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26).

SOFF contributes to strengthening climate adaptation and resilient development by improving weather and climate observations that in turn support better weather forecasts, early warning systems and climate information services to save lives and livelihoods and protect property.   

Cover photo: (left) Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General World Meteorological Organization Co-Chair SOFF Steering Committee and AfDB VP Kevin Kariuki SOFF and the Bank agreed to strengthen collaboration on the provision of early warning systems on the continent. Baku, November 2024