Luanda — At a time it prepares to ratify its membership of the Southern African Meteorological Association (MASA) in the near future, Angola is hosting as from Wednesday the 23rd Southern African Regional Climate Forum (SARCOF-23) for the first time).
Under this annual event, which will be held in Luanda from 28 to 30 this month, experts from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), linked to the weather forecast, will analyze and project the climate behavior in this region of the continent.
Running under the motto "Understanding the Earth System to Build Resilience Against Recurring Extreme Events in the SADC Region", this twenty-third edition of the meeting is being preceded by a Technical Forum (PRE-SARCOF), which began on August 19.
In an interview with Angop, on the matter, INAMET Director-General Domingos Nascimento explained that the event aims to reach consensus on the analysis of results and to draw up the forecast for the entire southern region, and subsequently refined locally by the respective experts.
"It will culminate with the preparation of the Seasonal Forecast for the rainy season, especially between October and April, in the southern African bloc, including Angola, which has been experiencing drought in the southern part since September 2018," he said.
The director-general of the National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics (INAMET) reported that the forum reserves parallel thematic discussions on Energy, Water, Civil Protection and Agriculture, as surrounding sectors whose activities depend on weather conditions.
Regarding Angola's position in Southern Africa, in the meteorology chapter, Domingos Nascimento said that the country has been meeting certain levels designed by SADC, such as the certification of meteorological services, an obligation established for 2018.
Thus, Angola is among the seven countries that have complied with this imposition, and is currently working on the process of ratifying the Statutes for membership of the Southern African Meteorological Association (MASA), which can happen at any time.
