The SADC region suffers from meteorology infrastructure deficiency. This lack of appropriate infrastructure poses a serious threat to the region’s planning processes in the context of changing climate patterns. As indicated earlier, southern Africa is home to about 272 million people whose multi-sectoral socio-economic activities, such as power generation, water resource management and agriculture, among others, are to a greater or lesser extent impacted by climate variations. The improvement of output, therefore, demands accurate and timely weather forecasts and seasonal climate predictions. Mitigation measures are required to avert disasters related to meteorological and hydrological extremes, which are increasing in the SADC region and indeed across Africa. This requires early warning systems. Statistics show that: METEOROLOGY • In 1993 about 15 large-scale disasters occurred. Since 2000 disasters have fluctuated between 60 and 100 a year; • From 1980 to 2007 over 90% of all disasters related to natural hazards; 71% of the casualties and 78% of economic losses were caused by weather, climate and water-related hazards; and • Climate-induced fatalities have been reduced, but economic losses are increasing. It is becoming more apparent that meteorological services are critical to the socio-economic development and security of the region’s citizens, the protection of life and property and the sustained protection of the environment. The value of the information disseminated increases with its quality, accuracy, timeliness, location specificity and user-friendliness. While the work of meteorologists is coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and data collected feeds into global information and analysis systems, it is mandated under national law and implemented by National Meteorological Services (NMSs). NMSs face many challenges in carrying out their work, including poor observation networks, inadequate instrumentation, a shortage of skills, inefficient data management systems and poor telecommunication systems for collecting and disseminating information. The region has to address many challenges in order to benefit from the advances in climate sciences and technologies. The study identified a number of regional projects which focus on: • Strengthening the meteorological observation network infrastructure for the monitoring and analysis of weather and climate variability and change; • Modernising meteorological telecommunications and communication systems to improve rapid data collection, management, processing, exchange and dissemination of data and information; • Improving technical capacities in terms of resources and expertise; • Strengthening the institutional capacity of the National Meteorological Services to provide relevant, reliable and timely tailored products for users of climate and weather services; and • Strengthening the capacities of the regional climate and meteorological institutions to function as efficient regional coordination, development, service and dissemination centres. The estimated cost of implementing the projects is US$125 million. 12 Executive Summary