Objectives

Our mission is to create dedicated climate services for the SADC region. We have identified eight case studies in the energy, food security, water and infrastructure sectors of the SADC region – to provide a range of examples where climate service delivery can be successfully implemented.

The case studies, formulated based on end-user requirements, aim to improve adaptation and resilience. The resulting tailored climate services cover the full value-chain, whereby each case study is contributed by a research partner, a service provider partner and an end-user.

FOCUS-Africa was inspired by the environmental commitment of world leader Nelson Mandela, who in 2013 said:

“Our people are bound up with the future of our land. Our national renewal depends upon the way we treat our land, our water, our sources of energy, and the air we breathe. … Let us restore our country in a way that satisfies our descendants as well as ourselves.”

Addressing the full value chain, the central aim of FOCUS-Africa, will ensure the exploitation and sustainability of climate services. While the use of climate information is growing rapidly worldwide, the majority of the countries in Africa still lack the infrastructural, technical, human and institutional capacities to provide high quality climate services.

More on FOCUS-Africa

Strengthen the link between the climate scientific community and stakeholders in the SADC region

• This will be done by leveraging the advanced scientific knowledge and strong networks of our team, and by establishing dedicated channels of communications, so as to target the full value chain of our users, since the start of the project

Advance the way in which climate information is processed

• Boost the processing and use of historical records, seasonal forecasts and projections (also exploring decadal forecasts) in decision making, including policy making for its direct uptake by the regional and national climate services providers

Characterize end-use requirements through regular engagement

• Encourage engagement with stakeholders and active players in
  the sectors, and ensure that lessons learned are upscaled to other countries in Africa, but also Europe, and other regions of the world, measured via standard analytics

Contribute to the advancement of the scientific knowledge

• Advance knowledge through publications and reports such as those
  relevant for the IPCC, through the innovative science developed by FOCUS-Africa

Demonstrate the effectiveness of climate information

• This will be done by strengthening the adaptive capacity of end-users by
  delivering tailored, actionable and exploitable climate services and by estimating their socio-economic benefits across the full value chain.