AU creates agency to advance space technologies in war against climate change
Windhoek, Namibia (PANA) – The African Union has created a new agency, whose mandate is to utilize space information to strengthen the fight against climate change in Africa.
The Space for Early Warning (SEWA) institution, which has been created as a programme and launched in Windhoek, Namibia, will work with the various agencies to share climate information.
African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Blue Economy, Moses Vilakati, said SEWA would help bridge an existing gap in the availability of climate prediction services, helping to better deal with potential risks posed by climate change.
SEWA brings together the African Space Agency, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Specialized Centres, Regional Climate Centres and national and regional weather and water services bodies, working under the programme.
“These organizations work in an inclusive approach. We have better coordination between various organizations with better knowledge of satellite technology and better institutional infrastructure to analyze the climate information available,” Vilakati told a news conference in Windhoek, where the AU convened the weeklong summit on climate change.
Satellites provide the information, which climate scientists use to understand the behaviour of major water bodies, such as the sea level, the atmospheric gases, atmospheric pressure and ice cover at mountain tops to determine their impacts on the climate.
Scientists use the weather data from the satellites to create potential climate models and prediction. Some of the information obtained from the satellite technologies, through remote sensing, helps to map the earth's key resources, helping the authorities to design policies and protection strategies for the earth's resources.
“SEWA is not just an initiative. It is a commitment, a vital programme to strengthen early warning systems using space technologies to protect lives,” said Jonas Sheelongo, the Deputy Executive Director, at the Namibian Transport and Works Ministry.
“Our region is increasingly exposed to climate disasters like droughts, wildfires and floods. These threaten food systems and affect the health sector. They affect economic growth. SEWA will bridge these existing gaps by playing the transformative role of linking the scientists and the policymakers,” Sheelongo said.
The SEWA’s launch is part of the African Union’s growth plan, Agenda 2063, specifically its agenda on sustainable agri-food systems, which focuses on improving agriculture sector through proper climate prediction.
African ministers of the Environment (AMCEN) mandated the creation of SEWA, when they met in 2018 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, when the ministers recommended the need to support space-based data to mitigate climate challenges.
SEWA has already signed agreements with various African national and regional weather agencies on the strengthening of capacity to use data through the African Meteorological Facility to utilize the climate data.
“It is undeniable that the SEWA launch has come at the right moment. With this launch, we shall ensure there is early warnings on major climate hazards. We shall avail climate data through this platform,” Vilakati said.
The Africa Meteorological Facility, also, known as the African Centre of Meteorological Application for Development (ACMAD), was created by the UN Economic Commission Application.
The Intra-Africa Pacific and Caribbean Climate Services and related applications programme (ClimSA) is a European Union funded programme to advance the fight against change.
The ClimSA is implemented by the EU and the AU, both organizations, are working jointly to implement climate change protection plans.
They have been discussing the importance of improving access to satellite services to improve their ability to make decisions.
ClimSA has 31 regional and national decision support tools, three climate impact assessment reports, a global dynamic model to predict the socio-economic benefits of climate information.
-0- PANA AO/RA 25June2025
