The Africa Multi-hazard Early Warning and Action System (AMHEWAS) Situation Room welcomed a Head of State of an African Union Member State for the first time. H.E Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique and the African Union (AU) Champion for Disaster Risk Management, visited the facility on 18 February 2022, during the 36 Summit of AU Heads of State and Government held in Addis Ababa. The visit was another landmark demonstration of political will by the African Union following the appointment of HE President Nyusi by the 35th Assembly of the African Union in February 2022 as the DRM Champion.
H.E Amb. Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) of the AU Commission, received President Nyusi in the Situation Room and briefed him about the AMHEWAS programme. "The programme's goal is to substantially reduce disaster losses in Africa by 2030. Since its launch in 2022, AMHEWAS has recorded considerable progress". In her remarks, Amb. Sacko indicated that 37 African Union member states were trained and over 400 advisories issued by AMHEWAS Situation Room through its flagship product: the Continental Watch (CW), produced every Tuesday and Friday.
Further, Amb. Sacko detailed the importance of the Continental Watch. "With the 400 advisories issued, the AMHEWAS Situation Room organised 30 anticipatory action dialogues with Member States forecast at category 4. Category 4 warning is the highest category, indicating the highest severity of forecast events with the possibility of leading to a disaster. However, depending on the vulnerability status of a nation or community, even a category three (3) event could also lead to a major disaster. For the division of labour between AUC, RECs and Member States, AUC issues an advisory when category four (4) is forecast; RECs are expected to issue an advisory when an event is at category 3; and member states are expected to issue a public warning for all categories, including 2 and 1", she said.
President Nyusi visited the Situation Room at a time when the AMHEWAS Situation Room was monitoring cyclone Freddy which was approaching Madagascar. Amb. Sacko invited Mr Gatkuoth Kai, Technical Coordinator for the Disaster Risk Reduction Unit of the Directorate of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy in ARBE, to present activities of the AMHEWAS Situation Room. Mr Kai highlighted that the AMHEWAS Situation Room monitored cyclone Freddy with much concern.
The Technical Coordinator took President Nyusi and his delegation through live development as the cyclone was gathering strength - making its way toward Madagascar. The cyclone was expected to land late at night in Madagascar on Tuesday, 21 February 2023. The landfall would likely result in extreme rainfall with heightened flooding. The cyclone would lead to possible excessive rain and severe wind in central Mozambique around 23 February 2023. Such extreme rainfall would likely lead to increased water levels in the Limpopo River with subsequent flooding. Mr Kai also presented a disaster situation report of recent flooding which led to the death of 6 people in Mozambique. In the report, the CW indicated that the water level had receded.
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The DRM Champion commended the AUC for coming up with the AMHEWAS programme. "AMHEWAS provides useful information and services to member states. I call upon the AUC to equip this programme with high-tech facilities and the necessary resources to expand AMHEWAS to Regional Economic Communities and Member states", he appealed. Further, he urged the AUC to support Madagascar in its disaster risk reduction efforts as the nation was preparing for cyclone Freddy and its recovery efforts from recent cyclones.
President Nyusi was accompanied by members of his cabinet, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Environment, an Advisory to the President, the Acting Ambassador of the Embassy of Mozambique to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and several diplomats and another member of the delegation.
The Government of Italy supports the AMHEWAS programme through UNDRR, the Government of Sweden through UNDP within the framework of the Sahel Resilience Project, and the European Union within the framework of the 11th European Development Fund Intra-Africa Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Programme. The 11th European Development Fund (EDF) NDRR supports AUC DRR Unit and its disaster risk governance programme.
