RCC-Africa

At its fifteenth session (November 2010), RA I (Africa) expressed the need to establish one RCC in each of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and name these centres accordingly: the IGAD-RCC for Eastern Africa, the ECOWAS-RCC for Western Africa, the SADC-RCC for Southern Africa, the North African RCC-Network, and the CEMAC-RCC for Central Africa. Considering the pan-African nature of the ACMAD, the Association assigned it the coordinating role among all RCCs in RA I and called it the African-RCC. In January-February 2011, WMO organized a meeting of the RA I Task Team on RCCs, which elaborated the implementation of RCCs as per the decisions of XV-RA I. Based on the recommendations of the Task Team, the following RCC candidates formally started their demonstration phase in March-April 2011:

African-RCC:
African Center of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD)
http://www.acmad.ne/en/homepage.htm
Location: Niamey, Niger
Domain of interest: All countries of RA I
For a portrait of the African RCC at ACMAD, click here.

IGAD-RCC:
IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC)
http://www.icpac.net/
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Domain of interest: IGAD Countries (Greater Horn of Africa)
For a portrait of IGAD RCC at ICPAC, click here.

The North African countries Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia elaborated a project proposal for the North African RCC-Network, with a demonstration phase expected to start in March 2012. For West Africa, AGRHYMET and ACMAD started consultations to form an ECOWAS RCC-Network. A road map towards a Central African RCC has been outlined with the aim to establish a specialised ECCAS agency. For Southern Africa efforts are underway to extend the mandate and product suite of the SADC-Climate Service Centre to also cover WMO RCC functions to become the SADC-RCC.

Regional Climate Outlook Forums in RA I

There is a well-established structure of Region Climate Outlook Forums (RCOFs) in RA I supported by the centres above, which would enhance their respective RCC functionality: Western Africa (PRESAO); Greater Horn of Africa (GHACOF); Central Africa (PRESAC) and Southern African region (SARCOF). Efforts are underway to start a new RCOF for Northern Africa (PRESANORD).