By: Kanto Kai Okanta
The
Regional Advanced Retransmission Service (RARS) Africa Workshop has convened in
Pretoria, bringing together leading institutions focused on strengthening
Africa’s early warning and meteorological capabilities.
The
South African National Space Agency (SANSA) joined representatives from the
European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
(EUMETSAT), the African Centre of Meteorological Application for Development
(ACMAD), the Gabonese Agency for Space Studies and Observations (AGEOS), the
African Association for Geospatial Development (AGEOS), the African Union, the
South African Weather Service (SAWS), the Agriculture, Hydrology, Meteorology
Regional Centre (AGRHYMET) and the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications
Centre (ICPAC).
The
workshop centered on efforts to maintain and upgrade RARS Africa ground
stations, a critical component of the continent’s meteorological
infrastructure. These systems enable faster access to satellite data,
supporting more accurate weather forecasting and enhancing preparedness for
climate-related events.
Participants
discussed strategies to improve data reception, processing and dissemination,
with a shared goal of building stronger resilience against extreme weather and
environmental challenges. The workshop also provided a platform for
collaboration among national, regional and international partners working to
advance Africa’s climate and disaster management capabilities.
SANSA
noted that the continued development of RARS Africa is essential to supporting
decision-making across sectors, including agriculture, water management and
disaster risk reduction, as countries work to improve forecasting accuracy and
protect vulnerable communities.
