Spotlight series: Learning agenda on climate services: Private sector solutions for climate services

This learning agenda on climate services examines private sector solutions for climate services. The global market for weather and climate services, estimated at $56 billion in 2015, is quite substantial. However, the market in Sub-Saharan Africa is still quite small, just $1.4 billion, or less than 3% of the total. This may be partly owing to the fact that it has the least developed weather and climate observation network of all populated continents. With insufficient funding and limited human capital, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) are unable to produce the timely and accurate information decision-makers need. Unfortunately, this poor performance discourages governments from investing in NMHSs, causing products and services to deteriorate further.

The paper finds that the private sector can help fill the investment gap in the provision of climate services. There is an opportunity to foster productive and complementary relationships between national governments (often represented by the NMHSs) and the private sector. However, if governments do not recognize the complementary role the private sector can play, they may fail to support or enable market involvement, and could even restrict private sector activity.