By Modou Kanteh
The Department of Water Resources under the Ministry of Fisheries Water Resources and National Assembly Matters (MoFWRNAMs) in collaboration with the European Union recently started a twelve-day training workshop for the staff on techniques of data management and visualisation using Geoclim tools on the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) and Climate Change Resilient Marine Zone for The Gambia.
In his opening statement, Permanent Secretary at MoFWRNAMs, Mr Omar SM Gibba said the objective of the workshop is to build institutional capacity in data management and visualisation as the Department of Water Resources continues to play a significant role in observing, monitoring, and predicting the weather, climate and water resources of the country. “I have been reliably informed that the Department of Water Resources has a long record of over 100 years of climate data in its archive,” PS Gibba noted.
The Hydrological and Meteorological (Hydro-Met) observation systems constitute crucial components for data acquisition and information generation necessary for meeting critical development goals.
In order to prepare for severe weather events and changes in climatic norms, Mr Gibba went on to explain, The Gambia has identified the improvement of its hydro met infrastructure as a priority in the country’s national development plan. “This will ultimately provide timely and reliable climate data, and information services to reduce the negative impact of climate variability and change,” he affirmed.
Mr Gibba further noted that more effective delivery of climate-related information to the public requires the involvement of a more participatory, multidisciplinary approach that brings together research and development institutions as well as partners to increase yields and reduce the negative impact of climate change.
He thanked the GCCA management team for initiating this important training, particularly for the provision of the new sophisticated computers; and the European Union delegation for their support.
