Africa road map for improving the availability, access and use of disaster risk information for early warning and early action, including in the context of transboundary risk management

This road map identifies activities and practical recommendations aiming to improve the availability, accessibility and use of risk information at the continental, regional, national and local scales, for the African Union Commission (AUC), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and four countries - Angola, Ethiopia, UR Tanzania, Zambia - as well as key African stakeholders in the field of DRR. The road map focuses on impact-based Early Warning Systems, and in this context looks to enhance the capacity for data exchange and coordination among national, regional and continental actors. The road map contains a baseline analysis on the status of Early Warning Systems and use of disaster risk information in the target countries, as well as at the continental and sub-continental (regional) levels. The analysis highlights strengths and challenges in four components of Early Warning Systems: Disaster Risk Knowledge, Monitoring and Forecasting, Communication and Dissemination, and Preparedness and Response.

Common recommendations for the four analysed countries are highlighted in the conclusion: 

• Risk knowledge consolidation and integration with EWS
• Improvement of monitoring and forecasting system
• Improvement of communication and dissemination systems
• Development of preparedness plans