AGRHYMET Regional Climate Centre for West Africa and the Sahel (AGRHYMET CCR-AOS) officially launched the Regional Monitoring Room on Climate, Hydrological and Environmental Extremes named "Dr Mahalmoudou Hamadoun" in tribute to the late Director General of the institution (2021-2024).
The official launch ceremony took place at AGRHYMET's premises in Niamey under the patronage of His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Republic of Niger and under the supervision of the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock. It brought together several distinguished guests, including the 34 directors of meteorological and hydrological services from the 17 countries of West Africa and the Sahel, representatives of the six basin organisations in the region, representatives of intergovernmental organisations, representatives of CILSS technical and financial partners, etc. The Technical Advisor, representing the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Mr Yacouba Bouda, before officially inaugurating the Regional Monitoring Room, emphasised its importance as "a watchful eye enabling our countries to detect, analyse and anticipate effective early warnings of hydrological, climate and environmental risks, based on high-quality forecasts."
The Executive Secretary of CILSS welcomed the completion of the regional monitoring room, which will strengthen the capacity of the Sahel and West African region to address emerging climate challenges. For Dr Abdoulaye Mohamadou, this new tool will strengthen the link between science and decision-making for better risk awareness and coordinated and effective responses. He emphasised that the monitoring room is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, staffed by high-level technical and scientific expertise and linked to modern digital platforms fed in real time by very high-quality data. The regional monitoring room will provide the data and products needed by national mechanisms to strengthen informed decision-making based on credible information.
The inauguration of the AGRHYMET CCR-AOS Regional Monitoring Room marks a turning point in proactive climate risk management and will promote the sharing of data and expertise. The establishment of the monitoring room has been supported by the World Bank as part of the implementation of Component 1 of the Food System Resilience Programme in West Africa (FSRP) and the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project, two regional projects promoting research and climate action.
