FOLLOWING a courtesy call to the President of the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction of Mozambique (INGD), Luisa Celma Meque, the joint monitoring mission held a technical consultative meeting with the Institute in Maputo from 28 to 29 February 2025.
During the meeting, INGD delivered a presentation on the various disaster risk reduction initiatives it is engaged in, with a specific focus on the ongoing multi-hazard early warning projects.
INGD is receiving support from the CIMA Research Foundation to expand its situation room and align it with the continental and regional situation room at the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC).
The AU Commission, SADC, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) presented updates on the various projects they are implementing.
Teresa Pinto, the AUC Technical Coordinator for Disaster Risk Reduction, provided an overview of the DRR Unit and its multiple projects, including the Disaster Risk Governance Project and the Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AMHEWAS) Programme.
Nomsa Dube, the AMHEWAS Programme Manager, presented an overview of the programme. Mr Lusajo Ambukege, the AMHEWAS Senior Early Warning Expert, elaborated on the AMHEWAS Situation Room, its operations, and its products.
He emphasised the interoperability model, highlighting the need for interconnected systems. SADC, IFRC, and OCHA also made presentations on the Disaster Risk Management Strengthening in SADC (DRMSS) programme and its various components.
From 26 to 28 February, the monitoring mission visited the emergency operations centre in Nacala Province. The monitoring visit to SHOC began with a courtesy visit to the regional INGD office in Nacala on the 26th.
The mission then proceeded to the centre, where Anderson Banda, the director, and the technical team provided updates on the operationalisation of the centre. The DRMSS project has catalysed other partnerships and facilitated the equipping of SHOC.
Presentations were made by the AUC, SADC, IFRC, and OCHA on the AUC DRR Unit, the AMHEWAS programme, and various components of the DRMSS programme, which support the operationalisation of SHOC.
Participants later visited the SHOC Situation Room, where they were briefed on the room's operations and various products. The Centre is already issuing impact-based advisories on various hazards affecting the region. Efforts are underway to include other risks, such as earthquakes, lightning, and wildfires.
Discussions focused on potential areas of collaboration between the AUC, SADC, its DRMSS partners, and the World Food Programme (WFP). The organisations present agreed on the need for continued cooperation to ensure the operationalisation of AMHEWAS is cascaded through SHOC to the SADC Member States.
Faith Chivava, the AUC consultant working on the Transboundary Early Warning and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) guidelines, presented the draft report for input by the meeting participants.
The monitoring visit concluded with a session in which the organisations developed a matrix outlining potential areas of collaboration in various activities. The AUC, SADC, IFRC, OCHA, and WFP are committed to developing and implementing joint activities, such as capacity building, coordination, transboundary DRM, and situation rooms.
The European Union’s Intra-ACP Natural Disaster Risk Programme has catalysed the African Union Commission’s disaster risk reduction activities. Through this solid foundation, the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Unit has expanded its scope and established programmes, including AMHEWAS, the Africa Urban Resilience Programme, and the Sahel Resilience Project.
In addition to the EU, the DRR functions are also supported by the governments of Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Angola, as well as implementing partners, namely the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank (WB), the CIMA Research Foundation, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of Germany.