By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, Jan.31, GNA – Ghana has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Denmark to enhance the country’s Meteorological Agency’s early warning systems and other operations.
Mr Eric Asuman, the Acting Director-General, Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), signed on behalf of Ghana while Madam Marianne Vendel Thyrring, the Director, Danish Meteorological Institute, signed on behalf of her Institute for the Denmark Embassy.
The agreement, which was made through a Memorandum of Understanding, would ensure that a Climate Atlas is developed for Ghana on precipitation and global warming among others.
Data from the Climate Atlas would be used for planning, decision and policy making.
The cooperation would also ensure that Ghana’s Meteorological forecasting and early warning systems are enhanced.
There would also be training of more meteorologists in different specialisations of forecasting among other areas.
Mr Tom Norring, the Denmark Ambassador to Ghana, said the world was facing a huge challenge of climate change, and that 2023 measured the warmest with 1.5 degrees more warmth.
He said last year met extreme weather events, fire outbreaks and droughts.
In Denmark, he said a national record of 25 per cent more precipitation above the climate level was recorded.
“In Ghana here, last year’s dam spillage in Akosombo caused many damages to communities. It should have convinced all that climate is changing and that collaboration among private entities and development partners is relevant,” he said.
Ambassador Norring who said Denmark stood tall and walked the talk in the global climate and green tradition agenda, said Denmark would support Ghana to fight climate change and spearhead climate actions in agriculture and food security among other areas.
Ms Ama Pomaa Boateng, the Deputy Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, said the GMet served a critical component of the economy by providing essential services to Health, Agriculture, Aviation, Transport, Maritime, Energy, Water Resources Management and Disaster Management.
She said government was aligned with the nine key priority areas identified in the cooperation agreement, including capacity-building, data management, Communication & Technology, and climate modelling among others to facilitate the growth of GMet.
Advanced meteorological instruments, satellite technology and sophisticated modelling systems, she said, allowed the Agency to collect and analyse data with greater accuracy, adding that it was, therefore, refreshing that technology had been inculcated as a key priority area into the processes of weather forecast and climate projection.
To demonstrate the commitment of the Government of Ghana and the Ministry of Communications & Digitalisation to support climate and weather activities in Ghana, the Deputy Minister said GMet was receiving a $5.5 million support under the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project to digitalise its operations.
Through the programme, the GMet would be enabled to expand the network of weather stations in Ghana, transition from manual stations to full automation, reform weather analysis process to include high-ended data visualisation and integration of AI to produce accurate forecast, she said.
Mr Asuman said Ghana was already witnessing the devastating impacts of climate change, from scorching droughts that threatened her agricultural heartland to unpredictable rainfall patterns that disrupted her food security.
Rising sea levels and extreme weather events, he said, were no longer distant threats, but the harsh reality of the country’s present.
Speaking about the cooperation, Mr Asuman said: “Together, we are not just building resilience against climate change; we are building a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable future for Ghana.
“This partnership is about enhanced livelihoods and resilience – Improved water supply, food security, and climate adaptation…”
Ms Thyrring said Ghana’s climate change was expected to increase by 2.3 and 5.3 degrees by the end of the century and it was also likely to see more erratic rainfall patterns, flooding and droughts in the future.
Climate change, she said was not only about the future as citizens were already feeling its impact and its cause of devastation.
Ms Thyrring noted that the complexity of severe weather events was high, however, combined efforts of many actors in the early warning and response system was key to protecting lives and properties in the country.
“To be sufficiently prepared, we need to look at the long-term understanding of the impact, thus climate service,” she added.
GNA