The 16th EUMETSAT Users’ Forum in Africa opened on 16 September 2024 in Cotonou, Benin. The Forum, which runs from 16 to 20 September 2024, is organized by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) in collaboration with the Agence Nationale de la Météorologie du Bénin (Météo Bénin) under the aegis of the Ministry of the Living Environment and Transport, in charge of Sustainable Development of the Republic of Benin.
The EUMETSAT Africa User Forum is a collaborative platform that fosters ongoing dialogue between EUMETSAT and the African user community, including national meteorological services and their regional centers. The main objective of the Forum is to encourage the widespread use of EUMETSAT satellite data throughout Africa. The first Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellite data is being transmitted to Africa via EUMETCast. This Forum will explore how these data can improve early warning systems for extreme weather events.
The ECOWAS Commission was represented by Mr. Sédiko Douka, Commissioner in charge of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation. In his address at the opening of the Forum, Commissioner Douka, on behalf of Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, thanked the Beninese authorities for facilitating the event.
He highlighted actions undertaken by the ECOWAS Commission to strengthen regional governance frameworks for hydrometeorological services through strategic documents aligned with the Integrated African Meteorological Strategy. Commissioner Douka welcomed cooperation between the African Union and European Union, which enables Africa to benefit from satellite data provided by EUMETSAT and Copernicus for weather forecasting and greenhouse gas inventories as part of Member States' obligations under the Paris Agreement.
On the sidelines of the opening ceremony, Commissioner Douka participated in signing the Cotonou Declaration on using satellite data for monitoring greenhouse gases and air quality in Africa. Besides Mr. Sédiko Douka representing ECOWAS Commission, signatories included Mr. José Didier Tonato, Minister for Living Environment and Transport in charge of Sustainable Development for Benin; representatives from African Union Commission; and President of African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET). The meeting was attended by delegates from African Union Member States, European Union, ACMAD, World Meteorological Organisation, EUMETSAT, AMCOMET, Transboundary Water Basin Organisations and AGRYMET Centre.
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