The Africa Context

1
A Summary Report, WMO REGION1 AFRICA(For the
UNEP/WMO 7ORM Meeting 18-21May2008, Geneva)

• The Africa Context
• Africa is the world's second largest continent
  spread. 6 of the Earth's total surface area and
  20.4 of the total land area on the surface of
  the Earth. In terms of population as well, Africa
  have more than 900 million people inhabiting the
  continent - 14 of the world's total population.
  There are a total of 46 countries on the
  continental mainland and the number climbs up to
  53 if we include all the island groups as well.
• The Africa continent - are home to diverse
  cultural and geographic features. A continent
  that is most susceptible to the influence and
  detrimental effects of Global Climate Change.
  Represented countries at the meeting here and/or
  those reported are about 15 of the 53.

2
A Summary Report, WMO REGION1 AFRICA(For the
UNEP/WMO 7ORM Meeting 18-21May2008, Geneva)

• Compliance issues of the Montreal Protocol and
  its amendments
• Many African countries are serious in addressing
  the compliance of the Protocol and many are
  before the scheduled phasing-out of Ozone
  Depletion Substances (ODSs).
• In general all countries, except for a handful of
  the leading developing countries, are the less
  manufacturers, exporters and emission venting
  culprits of the world.
• The verification of atmospheric monitoring and
  research activities thus remains lacking far
  behind these aforementioned compliance drivers,
  for they are the more resource demanding and
  inhibiting factors that most countries are faced
  with.

3
Ozone and related monitoring and observation
network/activities

• In the true sense expansive regional networks is
  really non-existing except in regions where major
  First World Countries are very active
  collaborating. Some of these main activities are
  found in northern and western Africa regions
  (French Western Africa) and to a lesser extent in
  eastern and southern Africa. Some of the major
  developed world collaboration is from European
  countries such as, France, Norway, Switzerland,
  Czech Republic and few others. And then from USA.
• One can sense that the three Global GAW Stations
  is a major impetus and focal point on the
  continent, and although not each country need
  such a Global station, a few more could prove to
  be further stimulant to enhance the magnitude on
  regional scale activities. The three WMO GAW
  global stations are Tamanrasset - Algeria, Cape
  Point - South Africa and Mt Kenya, Kenya.
• Undoubtedly, by far the most African countries
  are dependant on their established National
  Meteorological Services (NMHS) with one or two
  local universities collaborating on very limited
  scales. It should also be noted that NMHS
  traditionally are orientated in rendering
  national services of Weather forecasting and the
  provision of basic climate information and the
  atmospheric components of research and monitoring
  is a specialization not easy to be afford.
• Notably the observations are ground-based
  instrumentation with one or two aircraft
  platforms available for monitoring and research
  purposes. The ground based platforms are also the
  most basic platforms with UV radiation monitoring
  receiving some wide spread attention.
• Africa involvement in global issues such as those
  of the Artic and Antarctic is really not evident.
  It is only detectible in the one or two countries
  on the continent that have direct
  territorial/political interest in these regions.
  Africa Priorities are limited to the African
  Continent There is no room for using resources
  for diverse involvement in spite the global
  importance of the Pole Regions also for Africa.
• The Africa involvement ranges from a few
  countries involved in elaborated programs, but
  many others seemingly has a complete lack of any
  involvement. The countries on the forefront are
  also those who really have very strong
  collaboration partners and investors from
  either the European Community or USA.

4
Africa Research Efforts

• Through WMO/UNEP initiatives and NHMS awareness
  campaigns do benefit local awareness.
  Primitive/basic and sophisticated in-country
  activities are depicted on various websites.
  Furthermore, outreach to rural communities does
  occur. So indeed 16th September World Ozone
  Day day for the protection of the Ozone Layer
  has succeeded in its aim, and these activities
  should be maintained and even encourage further.
• Very limited research efforts are undertaken.
  Mostly limited to one or two in-country research
  professors with only one or two students. This
  emphasizes the limited projects in the areas of
  monitoring/data collections/analyzing and
  degree/dissertations write ups, which ultimately
  e spell the end of a short and sometimes
  expensive collaborative project. The
  realsustained long term measurements do not
  benefit from these efforts. Resources in this
  manner is utilized some time at great value for
  limited periods, as instruments fall into disuse
  and are discarded thereafter.
• Ozone and related modeling and process studies is
  nonexisting. However during some large scale
  sub-continent Research projects such as SAFARI
  2000 many field experiments has been conducted
  with very profound results of data collection and
  research finding beings published.

5
Africa Gaps and Recommendations Part 1

• Fact Major and large ground-based observation
  gaps exist over Africa. A critical shortage of
  regional centers does exist. The model of Global
  GAW station connecting to a vast regional network
  may prove to be a new model to approach for
  enhancing country participating. Keeping in mind
  not each country need to have or maintain a
  Global station.
• In-country expertise for instrument maintenance
  and instrument operation is in need of further
  support. In this sense NMHS (technical divisions)
  can play a greater role for facilitating local
  endeavors.
• Many collaboration is based on short term
  collaboration research projects (secondary
  university degree studies), but once this is
  completed the instruments are packed away and
  efforts are not sustained. Universities should
  collaborate more and more with Operational
  institutions such as the countries NMHS,
  disasters management structures including early
  warning infrastructures and environmental
  protection agencies.
• Sustained collaboration for expertise in the
  capacity building of laboratories even small
  broadband instruments could be very useful,
  -hand held ozone meters, etc could contribute to
  sustained monitoring efforts. Collaboration in
  major initiatives do not allow mostly for
  instrumentation/operational investments, such as
  the European Framework 7 Program. There is a very
  limited African participation in these programs,
  as the Need to bring own resources to
  participate is in most cases extremely
  difficult.
• It is reported that many countries are also
  involved in air-quality monitoring activities in
  cities. These efforts also will need integration
  into the wider atmosphere monitoring scientific
  communities. Potentially this can be seen as a
  viable mechanism to enhance in-country capacity
  thus building on Air Quality monitoring
  infrastructure and such new initiatives.

6
Africa Gaps and Recommendations Part two

• More resources for African workshops. Instrument
  calibrations as it is are extremely expensive for
  countries to participate with their own
  resources.
• Major ozone symposiums and workshop are held in
  the developed work and especially the northern
  hemispheres. E.G 8ORM can be held at the Ozone
  Secretariat in Nairobi 2011. Perhaps we shall see
  more African and Asian participants to be able to
  attend. More international support for attendance
  of workshops and international symposiums, but
  also with some ongoing research project coupled
  to this is needed for sustained efforts over
  longer periods.
• A real need for expert visits to Africa to
  maintain the scientific interest. This also
  includes technical expertise to assist with the
  few operating networks and instruments. The most
  expensive instrument could be rendered
  out-of-order due to a fuse not being able to be
  replaced or power supply difficulties. A global
  or regional slush fund for this could be
  created for identified countries and their
  instrumentation and operating networks.
• Trust fund is inadequate and we need to convince
  /leverage the UNFCCC/GEF Multilateral Clean
  Development Mechanisms CDM type of funding
  levels. CDM type of funding for the expansion of
  ozone monitoring and research - for various
  reasons.
• Can we not convince the Space Agencies of the
  World to invest more in Ground-based monitoring
  efforts after all for satellite validation and
  ground truthing efforts this is the data they
  also desperately need. Funding could be drawn
  Satellite observation programs. Those Satellite
  programs operate with enormous budgets of the
  Developed World / Government funding and thus the
  tax payers monies. This statement might be not
  true as the funding for these allocations are
  just not visible to the ground based monitoring
  communities.
• Ozonesonde soundings (vertical profiling) occur
  only in three locations on the Africa continent.
  (The estimate cost is about 1 000US per single
  sounding that excluding the initial ground based
  tracking systems as a once off investment).
• Caution More Dobsons for Africa. Keep in
  mindfor the long term sustainment (20-30 years
  etc) great cost for future calibrations etc.
  needs to be taken into account as well. As
  Africa may get more ground based instruments, one
  must not create a too heavy burden on countries
  to sustain these themselves. From Dobson
  experience this is a real effort to maintain
  operational and requires special and continuous
  observer and technical training to remain within
  that particular country. Modernization for
  Africa in the future could be another major
  issues in years to come.
• UV monitoring - only with some few broadband
  instrumentation and this is basically not useful
  for any trend assessments of UV exposure.
• Thus some countries have data- short term and
  even with many data gaps, but the owners of such
  data should be encourage further to publish and
  submit information the many international
  newsletters in our scientific communities, to
  publications such as SPARC, WCRP, MeteoNews,
  IGBP, IGAC,SOLAS etc.
• More regional GAWTEC/WMO, Germany initiatives
  could be very helpful if it could be directed
  towards an Africa GAWTEC. WMO Regional Training
  Centers for Africa and other regions could place
  more emphasis and dedication towards atmospheric
  monitoring and research training sessions. -
  Traditional these centers focuses on Weather
  Forecasting, Climate variability, Numerical
  Weather Prediction, and other more popular
  related topics traditionally linked to a
  Meteorological Service.Recommendations

7
Africa Gaps and Recommendations Part Three

• Can we not convince the Space Agencies of the
  World to invest more in Ground-based monitoring
  efforts after all for satellite validation and
  ground truthing efforts this is the data they
  also desperately need. Funding could be drawn
  Satellite observation programs. Those Satellite
  programs operate with enormous budgets of the
  Developed World / Government funding and thus the
  tax payers monies. This statement might be not
  true as the funding for these allocations are
  just not visible to the ground based monitoring
  communities.
• Ozonesonde soundings (vertical profiling) occur
  only in three locations on the Africa continent.
  (The estimate cost is about 1 000US per single
  sounding that excluding the initial ground based
  tracking systems as a once off investment).
• Caution More Dobsons for Africa. Keep in
  mindfor the long term sustainment (20-30 years
  etc) great cost for future calibrations etc.
  needs to be taken into account as well. As
  Africa may get more ground based instruments, one
  must not create a too heavy burden on countries
  to sustain these themselves. From Dobson
  experience this is a real effort to maintain
  operational and requires special and continuous
  observer and technical training to remain within
  that particular country. Modernization for
  Africa in the future could be another major
  issues in years to come.
• UV monitoring - only with some few broadband
  instrumentation and this is basically not useful
  for any trend assessments of UV exposure.
• Thus some countries have data- short term and
  even with many data gaps, but the owners of such
  data should be encourage further to publish and
  submit information the many international
  newsletters in our scientific communities, to
  publications such as SPARC, WCRP, MeteoNews,
  IGBP, IGAC,SOLAS etc.
• More regional GAWTEC/WMO, Germany initiatives
  could be very helpful if it could be directed
  towards an Africa GAWTEC. WMO Regional Training
  Centers for Africa and other regions could place
  more emphasis and dedication towards atmospheric
  monitoring and research training sessions. -
  Traditional these centers focuses on Weather
  Forecasting, Climate variability, Numerical
  Weather Prediction, and other more popular
  related topics traditionally linked to a
  Meteorological Service.Recommendations

8
Some reports that was available from countries.

• Some reports that was available from countries.
• Egypt Very Active
• Algeria Very Active
• Madagascar -French (Focus on Protocol compliance
  - ozone research and Monitoring not existing)
• Ethiopia Verbal communications (a submitted a
  report concerning ODS and Emissions Inventories.
• Botswana Very Limited. Compliance and the Maun
  Dobson Station.
• Tanzania Reasonable activities, Focus on
  meteorology and UV Mt Kilimanjaro
• Kenya active with Swiss support. Limited
  activities
• Nigeria limited activities. Compliance issues a
  focus
• Togo - No instruments no research. Some GAW
  expectations. Station Kauma-Konda , but no
  progress
• Morocco, Casablanca What happened to Your
  Dobson 69-1989? Brewer Mark II and Mark III
  -and Dobson Problems.
• Uganda no monitoring and research activities. -
  Kampala City needs Surface ozone measurements.
• Discussions with Zambia, Ghana and Sudan
  representatives at this meeting also reveal the
  same limitations of activities on Ozone
  monitoring and relevant research issues. The ODP
  phase out and emissions compliance are the
  priorities linked also to Climate Change impact
  and adaptation priorities.
• Comoros Some activities and compliance protocol
  Issues.
• South Africa Very active, However no real
  tangible monitoring and research efforts in
  Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Angola, etc.
• France Involvement in La reunion and other
  western African Regions. SAOZ measurements
  perhaps the most concentrated research efforts
  through FRANCE.
• Benin in French support

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The END