The first National Situation Room of the AMHEWAS network aims to provide coordinated and collaborative access to Early Warning Systems across the entire African continent. The Emergency Operation and Communication Center (EOCC) Situation Room, inaugurated today in Dodoma, serves as the connection point between regional and continental information and national-level information.
Today, June 14, the Emergency Operation and Communication Center (EOCC) Situation Room is inaugurated in Dodoma (United Republic of Tanzania). This initiative is part of the Africa Multi Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AMHEWAS) network, supported by contributions from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), with technical and scientific support of CIMA Research Foundation. Dodoma’s Situation Room is the first national pilot within the AMHEWAS network, which already includes four situation rooms focused on continental and regional levels. This marks the first step in enabling the exchange of data and information between continental, regional, and national levels.
The inauguration is attended by representatives from the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs and Coordination) of Tanzania, African Union Commission (AUC), Southern African Development Community (SADC), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), CIMA Research Foundation, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), East African Community (EAC), Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA), Ministry of Water of Tanzania (MoW), and representatives from international and national institutions involved in disaster risk management (DRM) and early warning systems (EWS).
The development of the AMHEWAS network stems from work carried out in recent years by CIMA Research Foundation, commissioned by UNDRR. The work led to the approval of a Road Map to increase the availability and access to EWS across Africa. This region faces high disaster risk, exacerbated by the climate crisis, within a context of significant vulnerability. According to UNDRR report Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, less than half of the population has access to EWS that provide adequate warnings – consequently, reducing deaths and damages – for events such as floods and droughts. It is the critical need AMHEWAS aims to address. This objective aligns with the EW4All Initiative launched by the United Nations in 2022 to ensure global protection from risks through early warning systems by 2027.
Between 2021 and 2022, the first centers of the network were established: three situation rooms for forecasting, analyzing, monitoring, and responding to hydrometeorological risks. These include a regional center (IGAD Disaster Operation Centre in Nairobi) and two continental centers (the Continental Situation Room in Addis Ababa and the Multi-Hazard Early Warning Advisory Centre in Niamey). These situation rooms represented the beginning of a cooperation and coordination process planned for the AMHEWAS network, whose crucial role is to serve as a tool for integrating and disseminating information among all African institutions working on disaster risk reduction. In June 2023, the ECOWAS Disaster Centre in Abuja, Nigeria, was established as the most recent situation room until today’s inauguration. This network operates 24/7, analyzing and integrating data on the myDEWTRA.world platform, developed by CIMA Research Foundation, which serves as a shared portal and tool for maximizing information sharing. Forecast and monitoring data are disseminated to all system actors through standardized bulletins, enabling timely response actions to reduce risk effectively by acting preventively (Early Action) rather than during ongoing emergencies.
The National Situation Room for Early Warning and Disaster Operations is a crucial milestone for the creation of the AMHEWAS network, as it represents the first national connection point between regional and continental situation rooms.
“A study conducted by CIMA Research Foundation in collaboration with PMO and UNDRR, estimated that affected population by floods and droughts are projected to rise of about four times by the end of the century, for the combined effects of climate change and demographic growth. The agricultural sector is by far the most affected sector, threatening food security in the country. The situation room significantly increases the capacities of Tanzania to protect the population and their livelihood. It is a hub where well trained staffs, using innovative technological tools for data exchange, combine risk information and scientifically based forecasts to produce impact early warnings, eventually informing early and anticipatory actions”, said Mr. Luca Ferraris, President of CIMA Research Foundation.
CIMA Research Foundation, in addition to overseeing the establishment of various situation rooms within the network, provides constant technical support and training for the staff operating the centers, in partnership with UNDRR, to ensure their full autonomy. Today’s inauguration was also preceded by two days of training for technicians from local meteorological, hydrological, and civil protection agencies who will work on co-producing warning bulletins in the national situation room.
