Stakeholders in disaster-risk reduction in the country have been trained on multi-hazard risk information and early warning systems during a training workshop in Accra, last Monday.

The training was aimed at providing participants with comprehensive tools and methods to assess multi-hazard risk information tailored to the early warning systems available in the country.

The five-day training workshop provided hands-on practice, and case studies from research results and artificial intelligence to the participants. It was organised by the West Africa Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) under a UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) project known as “Strengthening of the Network of Centres of Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction" (NoE-DRR).

The project, which is in its second Phase II, is aimed at establishing a Network of Centres of Excellence for Risk Information Delivery, Early Warning and Anticipatory Action for Africa.

The first phase focused on establishing the structure, mission and goals of the NoE, as well as ensuring its sustainability. The mission of the initiative was to create a network for enhanced engagement and collaboration between various stakeholders, NGOs, academia, practitioners and scientists working in the field of disaster risk reduction, early warning, anticipatory action and disaster preparedness.

The initiative was also to draw upon their expertise to develop and strengthen institutional capacity across national, regional and continental levels to collect, exchange and analyse data to guide disaster-risk affiliated authorities to implement anticipatory actions.

Network

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Executive Director of WASCAL, Professor Emmanuel Wendsongre Ramde, stressed the importance of access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster-risk information, adding that it was enshrined in the seven global targets of the 2015 Sendai Framework for Action.

The Action had become the focus of the Early Warning for All (EW4ALL) launched in 2022 which aimed at having every person protected, he said. Prof. Ramde said the training programme was designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills required to prepare, prevent, and mitigate the impact of climate-related disasters on society.

He reiterated that their aim under the NoE-UNDRR project was to bring together disaster-risk reduction initiatives systems which were in silos in the country to make them more efficient and reliable.

“This will make them seamlessly convey one message to the population for them to be prepared and protected,” he said. The executive director emphasised the importance of capacity building for institutions working in the area of disaster risk management, saying that WASCAL was committed to providing comprehensive solutions to complex issues related to climate change through capacity building, research and advisory services.

He, however, thanked the UNDRR and the government of Italy for their technical and financial support towards the project as well as the collaboration from partners to combat climate change and improve livelihoods.

Collaboration

The Director for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction at the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Charlotte Norman, said the training was in the right direction since strengthening their capacity in early warning systems was crucial in disaster management.

She said the training had given participants more exposure and knowledge on how to respond to disasters adequately. She expressed their commitment to share knowledge and collaborate with stakeholders within the disaster management space.