The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has handed over nine automated weather stations to the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) to strengthen climate resilience and improve early warning systems in the country.
The handover ceremony was held in Accra on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, under the project “Strengthening resilience on water-related disasters under climate change for a sustainable society in Ghana,” which is funded by the Government of Japan.
The project is intended to improve Ghana’s ability to respond to climate variability and extreme weather events such as floods and droughts.
Speaking at the ceremony, UNESCO Representative to Ghana, Edmond Moukala, said reliable meteorological data is essential for effective early warning systems and climate services.
“Accurate, timely, and reliable meteorological data form the backbone of effective early warning systems and climate services. These weather stations are not merely pieces of equipment; they are instruments of anticipation rather than reaction, of prevention rather than response, and when effectively utilised, will help save lives and protect livelihoods,” he said.
The Director-General of GMet, Dr Eric Asuman, also stressed the importance of data in the work of the Agency, especially in sectors such as aviation and agriculture.
“Our services support key sectors of the economy, including aviation and agriculture, and they rely fundamentally on data. Generating and maintaining this data is capital intensive, but advances in technology, especially automated weather stations, are helping to ease the burden,” he said.
He thanked UNESCO for the support and called for more national recognition of the importance of weather data.
“There is still a need for more, and these additional stations will strengthen our operational capacity,” he added.
The Deputy Director-General in charge of Operations at GMet, Dr Ignatius Kweku Williams, said the Agency is ready to integrate the new systems into its work.
“We are grateful to UNESCO and the Government of Japan for this support. Our focus now is on deploying the stations and ensuring they are fully operational to enhance our service delivery. We also look forward to continued collaboration in the future,” he said.
The new weather stations are expected to improve the availability of meteorological data, support more accurate forecasts and strengthen Ghana’s early warning systems against climate-related disasters.
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