2018 Market Assessment on Climate Service in Africa

This continental-scale market assessment investigated how thriving commercial weather markets could be catalysed in the 11 African countries supported by the CIRDA programme, and how their NHMSs could maximise benefit they derive from such markets. Two main conclusions emerged: firstly, that the NHMSs should collaborate rather than compete with private weather companies; and secondly, that the NHMSs should embark on a phased transition to derive benefits from the national commercial weather markets.The market assessment also found that NHMSs in countries supported by the CIRDA programme were in varying states of readiness for engaging with the private sector. To maximise future shared revenue streams from the private sector, NHMSs will need to undergo major changes in mind-sets and acquire new skills – a cultural shift for agencies unaccustomed to outreach and collaboration with private companies. This transition will take many years – perhaps even a decade – to achieve, especially if laws need to be changed, new partners and working arrangement identified, and new staff hired. A 2018 market assessment update, however, revealed that considerable progress has been made following two years of CIRDA programme support. A general upwards trend was observed for all countries with regard to their readiness to engage with the private sector. An important next step for NHMSs will be to undertake in-depth national market assessments to identify suitable entry points into their respective commercial weather markets.