It has been officially announced that the Ethiopian Meteorology Institute and Arba Minch University have been formally approved to serve as Regional Training Centers (RTC) for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
This decision was passed during the 80th session of the World Meteorological Organization’s Executive Council meeting currently being held in Geneva, Switzerland. It was noted that this opens a major door for Ethiopia to become a hub for meteorological professional skills in the African region.
Furthermore, it is expected to greatly assist the country in playing a significant and leading role in hydrology, meteorology, and climate service training across the continent.
It was revealed that the journey for Ethiopia to secure this prestigious continental training center status took more than two years and involved passing numerous strict criteria.
The process included formally presenting the country’s interest to the WMO Secretary-General and the Africa Management Board, as well as conducting an institutional internal capacity self-assessment.
Beyond this, external evaluations were conducted by independent bodies, and gaining full endorsement from the WMO Capacity Development Panel was the primary factor ensuring this success.
Following this major continental recognition, it was stated that the next steps will involve swiftly making the training centers fully operational and ensuring that professionals from across the continent are efficiently trained.