By Savious Madanhire
Climate experts from across the Southern Africa region have convened in Harare for the regional Climate Outlook Forum to discuss the upcoming 2024-25 rainfall season and address the region’s climate-related challenges.
The meeting comes as the region is still recovering from the devastating effects of the previous El Nino-induced drought that severely impacted most SADC member states last rainfall season.
According to statistics, about 68 million people were attacked by the drought which wiped clean their crops and livestock production causing food shortages and a decline in the economic cycle across the region.
In a speech read by the Meteorological Services Department Zimbabwe director Rebecca Manzou on behalf of World Meteorological Department director Prosper Matondi, at the Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF) climate experts forum on 19 August 2024 said the forum which brings together experts will provide a seasonal forecast and explore strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate variability.
“The forum enables us to collectively assess climate trends, develop informed projections and come up with a product that is crucial for planning purposes in various sectors of our economies.
“This process enables us to strengthen the models we are using and ensures that capacity building is continuous to cater to the changes in the environment”.
”Therefore the forum was more focused on humanitarian anticipatory programmes that would reduce the likely impacts of climate events before they occur”.