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Zambia, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Kingdom’s Met Office have launched the investment phase of the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF), a US$3.6 million initiative to strengthen the country’s meteorological capabilities.
The initiative aims to generate reliable climate data to strengthen early warning systems and boost anticipatory action for extreme weather shocks like droughts and floods.
Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Permanent Secretary, Dr. Doubty Chibamba, WFP Country Director, Cissy Kabasuuga, and Edson Nkonde, Director of the Zambia Meteorological Department officially launch the initiative in Lusaka on Tuesday.
Funded by SOFF and implemented by WFP and the Zambia Meteorological Department, the initiative was launched at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka.
Speaking at the launch, Chibamba described the initiative as a cornerstone of Zambia’s climate resilience agenda.
“The SOFF project is not just an infrastructure upgrade; it is a strategic investment in our national security,” he said.
Chibamba added that to transition to a green economy, policies should be rooted in precise, reliable and real-time climate data especially that Zambia was on the front line of extreme weather shocks, according to the release.
He recalled that El Nino-induced drought of 2023 and 2024 slashed agricultural production, eroded household purchasing power, pushed up food prices, and left an estimated five million people facing severe hunger.
“Today’s launch marks a strategic investment in Zambia’s capacity to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to extreme weather shocks that continue to threaten lives, livelihoods, and food security,” said Kabasuuga earlier.
She said accurate weather and climate observations were the foundation of early warning systems, disaster preparedness, anticipatory action, and loss and damage assessments.
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According to Zambia Meteorological Department, the initiative would also help close critical climate data gaps that currently limit forecasting accuracy and early warning capabilities.
“We are here today to launch a project that is not merely about weather stations, but about the safety, food security and economic resilience of every Zambian,” Nkonde. said.
He said better data meant better forecasts and better protection for vulnerable communities.
Nkonde stated that the project was expected to improve Zambia’s ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to extreme weather events that threaten food security and livelihoods.
“The initiative will upgrade and automate 21 existing surface weather observation stations. It will also install 4 upper-air stations to help Zambia meet Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) standards,” he said.
Nkonde said GBON was an international agreement which set clear requirements to countries for collecting and share weather and climate data.
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