Ethiopia’s modernises their meteorological infrastructure with state of the art radar system and instrumentation  

To help reliably monitor and forecast weather, and thus minimize the impact of weather and climate hazards, Vaisala will modernise Ethiopia’s weather and climate observation and forecasting systems. The value of the project is EUR 13 million.

Vaisala will deliver a turnkey meteorological solution for the National Meteorology Agency (NMA) in Ethiopia. The project expands the Ethiopian meteorological infrastructure and service provision capabilities, matching the needs for reliable early-warnings and forecasting services. The project is estimated to run for two years and start in 2020 once the Ethiopian parliament has ratified the concessional loan agreement to finance the project. The contact will be booked in orders received once the ratification has been confirmed.

Vaisala’s solution includes a weather radar network integrated with a high-precision lightning detection system covering western, southern, and central Ethiopia where more annual rain falls, an observation network management system that integrates new and existing observation sources, an air quality network for the capital city of Addis Ababa, and a centralised meteorological forecast production system.

“At Vaisala, we are committed to supporting nations to adapt to the pressing challenges posed by climate change. Ethiopia faces extreme and hazardous weather events, such as droughts, floods, hail and heavy precipitation. These events are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity, and it is a privilege to help Ethiopia build its resilience and improve its adaption to climate change,” says Jarkko Sairanen, Executive Vice President, Weather and Environment, Vaisala.

“Thanks to this program, we will be able to provide better weather services to Ethiopian people. This helps to reduce loss of life and damage to property from the increasing number of extreme weather events. Furthermore, it facilitates local economic growth in important weather-sensitive sectors including agriculture, water management, and aviation,” says Fetene Teshome, Director General, NMA.

Finnish technology and meteorological expertise form the foundation for this project. The project builds on a public-private partnership where private Finnish company Vaisala provides technological solutions, project delivery, and related training. The Finnish Meteorological Institute, a governmental research and service agency, provides meteorological training and a world-class weather forecast and early-warning service production environment.

The project is intended to be funded through the Finnish Public Sector Investment Facility (PIF), an instrument applicable for projects that comply with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries.