News / National
Zimbabwean elected world Meteorology Africa region president
11 Feb 2015 at 07:15hrs | Views
THE Director of the Meteorological Services Department (MSD), Dr Amos Makarau, who is also the permanent representative to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has been elected president of the World Meteorological Organisation Regional Association (RA 1) for the next four years.
Dr Makarau got the post at the just-ended 16th session of the organisation's meeting in Cape Verde's capital Praia.
He will be deputised by Mr Daouda Konate from Cote d'Ivoire. Dr Makarau also becomes a member of the governing body of the WMO's executive council, which meets in Geneva at the organisation's headquarters.
In a statement, the MSD said 41 African countries attended the event with representatives from the Regional Economic Groupings as well as African technical institutions such as the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development and sadc Climate Services Centre among others.
"His responsibility will be to ensure all strategic objectives of the African continent are implemented. For the next four years it means he will have responsibilities for Africa in terms of meteorological development as well as for Zimbabwe," read the statement.
In his acceptance speech, Dr Makarau, thanked the delegates for having confidence in his ability to lead the development of meteorology on the continent for the next four years. "We have a shared common vision for the development of meteorology in Africa. The main functions of the RA 1 (Africa) management team as per the WMO Convention are promoting the execution of the resolutions of the congress and executive council in their respective regions and also considering matters brought to their attention by the executive council," he said.
The management team is also expected to discuss matters of general interest and to coordinate meteorological and related activities in their respective regions, make recommendations to congress and executive council on matters within the purposes of the organisation among other things.
The outgoing president Dr Lamin Bah of the Republic of Guinea, was at the helm for the past eight years. The meeting deliberated on the achievements of the member states in the field of meteorology for the past four years and shared success stories within the continent.
It also considered the WMO strategy plan for the period 2016-2019 and to ensure it is aligned to the RA I strategy as well as the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology, African Integrated Strategy.
Dr Makarau got the post at the just-ended 16th session of the organisation's meeting in Cape Verde's capital Praia.
He will be deputised by Mr Daouda Konate from Cote d'Ivoire. Dr Makarau also becomes a member of the governing body of the WMO's executive council, which meets in Geneva at the organisation's headquarters.
In a statement, the MSD said 41 African countries attended the event with representatives from the Regional Economic Groupings as well as African technical institutions such as the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development and sadc Climate Services Centre among others.
"His responsibility will be to ensure all strategic objectives of the African continent are implemented. For the next four years it means he will have responsibilities for Africa in terms of meteorological development as well as for Zimbabwe," read the statement.
In his acceptance speech, Dr Makarau, thanked the delegates for having confidence in his ability to lead the development of meteorology on the continent for the next four years. "We have a shared common vision for the development of meteorology in Africa. The main functions of the RA 1 (Africa) management team as per the WMO Convention are promoting the execution of the resolutions of the congress and executive council in their respective regions and also considering matters brought to their attention by the executive council," he said.
The management team is also expected to discuss matters of general interest and to coordinate meteorological and related activities in their respective regions, make recommendations to congress and executive council on matters within the purposes of the organisation among other things.
The outgoing president Dr Lamin Bah of the Republic of Guinea, was at the helm for the past eight years. The meeting deliberated on the achievements of the member states in the field of meteorology for the past four years and shared success stories within the continent.
It also considered the WMO strategy plan for the period 2016-2019 and to ensure it is aligned to the RA I strategy as well as the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology, African Integrated Strategy.
Source - the herald
