Cameroon and Morocco are joining forces to counter the effects of climate change. The two countries, which are regularly confronted with drought and flooding, will be strengthening their resilience over the coming years. This is the result of an agreement signed recently between Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibebehe, Cameroon’s Minister of Transport, and Nizar Baraka, his Moroccan counterpart in charge of Public Works and Water.
The main aim of this collaboration is to improve weather forecasting systems by optimising and calibrating the telecommunications system and databases. “Natural phenomena are having a growing negative impact on sustainable development, with loss of human life and major material damage. To remedy this, meteorological services must be able, more than ever before, to provide early warnings, enabling decision-makers to take rapid and appropriate action”, explained Minister Ngalle Bibehe at the end of the ceremony in Rabat.
The Moroccan authorities, for their part, suggested that the aim of this cooperation was to provide a response to the expectations of the populations and sectors of activity on the front line of climate hazards, in particular transport, agriculture and health. Accordingly, sessions will be organised to build the capacity of meteorologists and environmental researchers from Cameroon and Morocco. This will be done with the technical support of the National Forecasting Centre and the Observation Systems Directorate based in Casablanca.
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Currently plagued by coastal erosion and bush fires, the Kingdom of Morocco is stepping up initiatives to reduce its vulnerability. As part of the 35th Summit of the African Union (AU), the Moroccan government suggested that Member States create a “platform of African experts on natural disaster management”. At the same time, the mechanism should make it possible to combat the food insecurity exacerbated by extreme weather events.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi