From Observations to Predictions and Projections: Opportunities and Challenges for Climate Risk Assessment and Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

The IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C reemphasized the vulnerability of large regions of the African continent to climate change with increasing risks to the water, agricultural, energy, health, and environmental sectors. However, limited data and human and technical capacities for climate risk assessment and management at regional and national scale still impede African policy makers to develop and implement appropriate adaptation and mitigation strategies for the most vulnerable regions and sectors in Africa. National meteorological agencies, in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization, have invested significant effort in improving observational networks. This complements work by research institutions, from Africa and elsewhere, to increase the understanding of climate change and its implications for African countries. The latter include expansions in weather and climate prediction/projection capabilities in Africa. Despite these efforts, and the development of climate services at various temporal and spatial scales, there is still a need to improve data availability and capacity to provide scientifically based knowledge to inform policy making, especially in support of the development of national climate risk planning.

The goal of this special collection is to present studies showing innovative approaches contributing to a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities related to the assessment and management of climate risks at regional and national scales in the African continent. Special consideration will be given to papers highlighting the uptake of these activities to support decision making.

With a wide scope of papers, we intend to address the challenges and opportunities in the African continent resulting from existing and planned observation activities, climate, and climate change research, including predictive modelling, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and climate risk planning and responses. We further intend to present case studies contributing to the global discussion on climate-related risks and their management in Africa and to inform policy makers at national, continental, and global level.

With a strong focus on activities on the African continent, authors are invited to submit scientific and technical papers, overview and status papers, research and data briefs and other manuscripts related to the following topics:

• Observational Networks (Africa and Global)
• Observation Technologies and Their Application
• Climate Data Availability and Quality
• Climate Modelling
• Climate Prediction and Projection
• Climate Extremes
• Climate Risk Assessment and Management
• Climate Service Co-design, Co-development, and Co-production
• Climate-related national and regional Planning and Policies
• Climate Science and Policy Dialogue

We would like to particularly encourage authors to submit manuscripts originated in or jointly developed by African institutions.