Morocco has placed African cooperation at the heart of the fight against climate change during the opening of the ClimAfrica 2025 Forum.
At the opening of the ClimAfrica Forum, held ahead of COP30, Morocco’s Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, on Wednesday urged countries across the continent to strengthen partnerships and increase investments to build sustainable resilience, emphasising the critical role of early warning systems for natural disasters.
The forum, organized in Skhirat prior to COP30, brings together policymakers, experts, and regional institutions under the theme: “From Risk to Resilience: Meteorology and Innovation for Early Warning Systems in Africa.”
According to Minister Baraka, enhancing South-South cooperation and engaging the private sector are essential to mobilise funding, develop new climate services, and strengthen local capacities. He also praised the work of the African Centre for Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, while calling for increased support from multilateral banks.
The minister highlighted that many African countries still lack effective monitoring and warning systems, leaving them vulnerable to floods, droughts, and deadly heatwaves.
Morocco, through its General Directorate of Meteorology, positions itself as a regional model, ready to share its expertise and infrastructure with neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour stressed that the link between industry and climate will be “the engine of African growth by 2030.” He outlined Morocco’s strategy in renewable energy and green hydrogen, asserting that these initiatives should drive a decarbonised industrial development that creates jobs.
Ko Barrett, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, also underscored the need to provide every African with an early warning system by 2027. She highlighted the continent’s lag—only 23 countries currently have fully operational systems—while urging the use of digital tools such as the open-source platform ClimWeb.
With its inaugural edition, the ClimAfrica 2025 Forum aims to establish itself as a benchmark for climate resilience in Africa, bringing together governments, regional institutions, and private actors around a shared goal: positioning Africa as a key player in climate innovation and environmental risk management.
MK/sf/lb/as/APA