Africa must strengthen its investments and partnerships to build sustainable climate resilience, Morocco’s Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, said on Wednesday at the opening of the ClimAfrica 2025 Forum in Skhirat.
Baraka stressed the importance of intensifying international and regional cooperation, particularly through South-South partnerships, to share experiences and develop joint climate initiatives. “Morocco is ready to place its expertise at the service of the continent and to build projects with its African partners in line with regional strategies,” he affirmed.
The minister underlined the role of both public and private sectors in mobilizing financing, developing new services, and strengthening local and regional capacities. He also pointed to the contribution of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), while calling for increased support from multilateral development banks to transform ambitions into concrete actions.
“Resilience against extreme weather events cannot be achieved without efficient and effective detection services,” Baraka noted, warning that many African countries still suffer from gaps in monitoring, financing, and early warning dissemination.
He pointed to the pioneering role of Morocco’s Directorate General of Meteorology (DGM), recognized as a regional reference in climate services and meteorological data, reaffirming its commitment to active cooperation with regional partners.
Also speaking at the forum, Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour said that the industry-climate nexus would be Africa’s growth engine by 2030. He noted that Morocco’s competitiveness in renewable energy is positioning the country as both a regional hub for decarbonized and circular industry and a prime destination for low-carbon industrial production.
In the long term, Mezzour added, Morocco aims to become a key player in the production and export of green hydrogen while developing new industrial ecosystems. He recalled that, in March 2024, the government launched the “Morocco Green Hydrogen Offer,” designed to cover the entire value chain and attract large-scale projects.
The objective, he explained, is to convert this energy potential into industrial ventures capable of creating tens of thousands of jobs across the country, with opportunities in steel, metallurgy, cement, glass, and refining.
For her part, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett emphasized that Africa must be at the center of the global effort to ensure early warning systems for every inhabitant by 2027.
Currently, only 23 African countries have comprehensive systems in place. Barrett pointed to digital transformation as a key opportunity, citing the ClimWeb open-source platform, already used by 70% of African states, but urged faster investments and cooperation to close detection and forecasting gaps.
“No country can achieve climate resilience alone. This requires regional cooperation, resource mobilization, and private sector involvement for joint action against climate change,” she insisted.
The ClimAfrica 2025 Forum, held under the theme “From Risk to Resilience: Meteorology and Innovation for Early Warning Systems in Africa”, marks its first edition this year. Organized by Morocco’s Ministry of Equipment and Water in partnership with regional and international stakeholders, the two-day event is taking place ahead of COP30.
The forum seeks to become a continental turning point in the fight against climate change and the deployment of early warning systems tailored to Africa’s realities.
MWN with MAP
