This archive report was first published on 27 October 2021.
On Wednesday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta officially opened the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) in Ngong', near Nairobi. The centre is a designated regional climate center by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide climate services and early warnings to 11 East African countries.
According to President Kenyatta, 'We live in uncertain times, increasing temperatures and sea levels, changing precipitation patterns and more extreme weather are threatening human health and safety, food and water security and socio-economic development in Africa. Africa, while currently responsible for a negligible amount of total global greenhouse gas emissions, is under significant threat from climate change.'
ICPAC's Director, Guleid Artan, emphasized the importance of providing quality climate services and early warnings, stating, 'In times of climate extremes and increased intensity and frequency of hazards, it is key to provide quality climate services and early warnings. Climate doesn’t stop at borders and having strong intergovernmental institutions able to provide early warnings is key.'
As part of the centre's launch, a Disaster Operations Center was established, with a situation room that will monitor major hazards and provide regional early warnings for drought, floods, extreme rainfall, food insecurity, or pests like the desert locust.
ICPAC is committed to continuing to champion innovation in earth monitoring systems, open data access, and multi-hazard early warning systems. The centre's launch follows the launch of East Africa Hazards Watch in July – a system developed by ICPAC to meet the growing need for public and cross-border risk information due to increasing climate extremes.
