WISER news and blogs
WISER news and blogs
Contents
Newsletters
WISER programme newsletter - June 2023
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - February 2023
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - September 2022
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - July 2022
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - October 2021
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - July 2021
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - April 2021
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - January 2021
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - October 2020
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - July 2020
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - April 2020
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - January 2020
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - October 2019
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - July 2019
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - April 2019
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - January 2019
Read the latest issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
WISER programme newsletter - November 2018
Read the first issue of the WISER newsletter for the latest news from the whole programme. To subscribe to receive future issues directly, email us.
News and Blogs
Delivering transformative change to weather and climate information services in vulnerable African communities through WISER Africa - September 2023
The WISER Africa programme will aim to provide more than 400,000 farmers and urban and informal settlement dwellers with improved weather and climate information. Plans are also underway to support activities in the Sahel.
New UK projects announced to fight climate change in Africa - September 2023
UK Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell announces new projects worth £49 million while visiting Kenya for the first Africa Climate Summit.
Resurgence announced the launch of the DARAJA East Africa Scale Up Programme, spanning cities in the East and Greater Horn of Africa, creating at a stroke Africa’s most ambitious and inclusive urban early warning initiative.
Scientists awarded £2 million to innovate severe weather warnings in Southern Africa - March 2023
An international team led by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and University of Leeds have been awarded £2 million to transform access to early weather warning systems for communities in South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique.
Following the success of WISER in East Africa and in response to climate risks, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has asked the Met Office to expand the concept to the MENA region.
Extreme weather, climate variability, and climate change remain significant and growing threats to sustainable development across Middle East and North Africa. See the key risks identified in a recent Met Office report on climate risk for the MENA region, which considered current climate, and model projections to the 2050s coupled with their interaction with regional socio-economic vulnerabilities.
WISER MENA aims to deliver transformation in the generation and use of co-produced weather and climate services to support decision making at local, national, and regional levels, building resilience to the impacts of climate change.
Read further details on WISER MENA here in English and here in Arabic.
To find out more about WISER MENA, email [email protected]
WISER: reflections and observations from the UK Government - January 2022
Reflecting on the impact of WISER, Jane Marriott, British High Commissioner to Kenya, shares why the UK Government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) invests in the WISER programme, why it remains crucial that people on the ground in Africa have access to weather and climate information and why WISER proves to be not only a programme that has been value for money for the UK, but vital to lives and livelihoods.
Bridge the Gap - page 10 - April 2021
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0310
We need cash to adapt, Kenyan slum dwellers tell COP26 president - March 2021
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0309
Africa: A Key Component Of Climate Change Adaptation Urgently Needs A More Sustainable Approach – New ODI Report - January 2021
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0300
ENACTS Climate Services Initiative Ripples Across East Africa with WISER Support - November 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0299
A key component of climate change adaptation urgently needs a more sustainable approach – Study - January 2021
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0298
Film on pioneering weather service for African communities premieres globally - January 2021
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0297
Investing for sustainable climate services: Insights from the African experience - January 2021
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0296
NEWS: Weather and climate information services urgently need more sustainable approach - January 2021
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0294
DARAJA: Development of locally accurate weather forecasts - October 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0289
Meet Kenya’s new ‘weather forecasters’ in Nairobi slums - August 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0288
Weather warning and forecast service brings benefits to East African nations - December 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0287
Kenya: Slum Weather Data Project Wins Praises - December 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0286
Released: Impact results from Africa’s most inclusive city climate, weather & early warning service - December 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0283
The Story of DARAJA: Resurgence and KDI commission top African creative - November 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0273
Resurgence recognised for collaborative weather communication project - November 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0266
DARAJA study: Co-designing Weather and Climate Information Services - November 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0265
Resurgence wins at the British Expertise International Awards 2020 - October 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0264
Street Art inspires communities to take climate action in Kenya - October 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0263
DARAJA outcomes : African leaders highlight weather service achievements - September 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0262
A sustainable approach to weather and climate communication in challenging times - October 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0261
E Co. Lunch breaks: BBC Media Action – Building climate resilience through local communication - October 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0259
DARAJA: Development of locally accurate weather forecasts - October 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0258
Residents turn into entrepreneurs through improved weather services - September 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0256
How to prevent drowning - September 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0255
Participants laud first ever NECJOGHA virtual climate café - August 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0254
NECJOGHA organizes first international Virtual climate café - August 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0253
How Youth Activists Are Averting Weather Crises In Slums - August 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0251
Meet Kenya’s new ‘weather forecasters’ in Nairobi slums - August 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0250
DARAJA in the news - August 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0249
New UK support to tackle devastating locust swarms in East Africa - August 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0248
New UK support to tackle devastating locust swarms in Africa and Asia - July 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0246
Latest guidance shows how climate information services can reach more people - April 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0227
Strengthening the capacity of agriculture in Rwanda to adapt to a variable and changing climate - June 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0226
Kenya flooding: why trusted media is essential in a changing climate - June 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0225
Climate is on the menu in East Africa - March 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0208
Residents of East Africa's informal settlements can now access better climate information - February 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0207
UK supercomputer to combat Africa's worst locust outbreak in decades - March 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0201
Putting co-production into practice - the value of cross-learning - March 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0198
Co-production for the benefit of all - witnessing real progress in East Africa - March 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0196
Parts of River Rwizi have sunk by 3 metres – NEMA - July 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0185
Farmers advised to plant at onset of rains - July 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0184
Tanzania holds successful climate cafe - July 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0183
UNMA releases weather alerts for marine users - July 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0182
Doppler weather radar helps Rwanda smallholder farmers to reduce crop losses from floods - August 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0181
How Kigogo has benefitted from TMA’s severe weather forecasts - September 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0180
Making a difference – improving weather and climate services in East Africa - February 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0179
17 year old drowns on Lake Victoria - February 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0178
Connecting scientists and journalists to create engaging vital weather information - January 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0175
How are Ugandan farmers adapting to climate change? - January 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0174
Improving weather and climate information in informal urban settlements - December 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0169
Improved seasonal forecast for Eastern Africa - December 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0167
Latest news from ASPIRE - November 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0164
Solar-powered community radio aids farmers in South Sudan - October 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0153
Lifesaving storm warnings for Africa’s Lake Victoria - October 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0152
Boulder’s NCAR targets improved forecasting at Lake Victoria - October 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0151
Radio features on Gulf Radio (Kenya) and Radio Kwizera (Tanzania) - September 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0143
Weather Wise – improving forecast reports for local Kenyans - August 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0142
Whatever the weather: Radio helps people adapt to climate change - September 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0141
Creating a shared platform for forecasters, community, media and city governments - April 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0140
Helping national forecasters gain critical insights - April 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0139
Effective climate services involve more than meteorologists – to reach their full potential - September 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0137
News item: NOW LIVE: A Manual for co-production in African weather and climate services - September 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0136
News item: New manual on co-producing African weather and climate services - September 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0135
Expert clarifies on forecasting water spouts - July 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0121
HIGHWAY improves early warnings for Lake Victoria - news stories on WMO and PreventionWeb - July 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0119 and WISER0120
Co-production webinar news stories - PreventionWeb and CDKN - July 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0117 and WISER0118
Forging a common understanding: Q&A with Vera Bukachi - March 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0102
Blog post from the DARAJA project
Defining and Looking Beyond Weather and Climate Information Services (WCIS) for residents of informal settlements - January 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0093
Blog post from the DARAJA project
East African climate services connect with local communities - December 2018
This blog post published by CDKN highlights the impact of the WISER programme.
DARAJA in the news - December 2018
This article on the Thomson Reuters website is regarding the WISER DARAJA project.
East African climate services connect with local communities - December 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0088
Blog post published by CDKN.
Impacting lives and livelihoods by improving weather and climate services in East Africa - July 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0072
A blog post by WISER Met Office Technical Lead, Bill Leathes, in which he shares some of the impacts of the programme so far.
Building trust between users and producers makes for better climate services - July 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0069
A blog post has been written by Suzanne Carter of SouthSouthNorth on co-production, including how the TRANSFORM project is distilling lessons learnt within WISER as phase two of the programme gets underway.
Understanding the weather information needs of fishermen on Lake Victoria - June 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0061
A blog post has been written by Met Office International Development Manager Becky Venton about user engagement work as part of the HIGHWAY project.
Supporting the delivery of an early warning system through co-production and user engagement - April 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0058
A blog post has been written by Met Office International Development Manager Becky Venton about the use of co-production and user engagement by the MHEWS Tanzania project.
CARE International blog post - June 2017
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0038
A blog post has been written by CARE International on a Climate Services and Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP) Knowledge Exchange, Kenya & Ethiopia. Reports are also available on Impact assessments on climate information services for community-based adaptation to climate change for Ethiopia and Kenya.
Climate forecasts could help drought-hit herders make smarter moves - December 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0039
This news item from the Thomson Reuters Foundation talks about the impact WISER could have on helping "400,000 households in East Africa access early warning weather and climate information and...make more informed decisions". Read the article here.
Increasing engagement and progress using blended learning techniques - November 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0013
Met Office Senior Climate Science Training Consultant, Rebecca Griffiths, has written a blog about her experiences delivering an introduction to climatology course as part of a WISER project with the IMTR in Kenya. Read the full blog.
Climate information service co-development through user engagement - October 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0012
A series of user engagement workshops took place as part of the SCIPEA project before & during the 44th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF44). For details of the workshops and the next steps for the SCIPEA project, read our blog.
Getting wise to an unpredictable climate - August 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0032
"Rising temperatures, changing rainfall and prolonged drought, are increasing the vulnerability of people in Africa. Many livelihoods hang in the balance. But, with a new, large-scale project, the Met Office is helping change the outlook for some of the world's most vulnerable communities."
Early warning of weather hazards can save lives and livelihoods - June 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0001
Regional International Development Manager for Africa, Kathrin Hall, blogged in June about a workshop held as part of the MHEWS Tanzania project. Stakeholder engagement was at the heart of the Severe Weather Events - Effective Planning (SWEEP) workshop. Read the full blog.
Events
Triple Dividend of Resilience webinar slides - November 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0270
Stakeholder engagement climate forum report - February 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0206
W2SIP ICPAC/NECJOGHA Climate Communications Workshop GHACOF51, Entebbe - March 2020
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0172
Building back better - workshop Oct 2019 - November 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0159
Putting principles into practice in the co-production of weather and climate services - October 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0154
Tanzania national project inception workshop report - September 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0147
GHACOF 53 event report - August 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0146
Co-production webinar questions and answers - September 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0127
Co-production webinar presentation - September 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0126
Co-production webinar questions and answers - June 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0110
Co-production webinar presentation - June 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0109
Report on participation at East Africa – Peru – India Climate Capacity Building (EPICC) workshop - May 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0108
AMCOMET Conference 2019 event notes - March 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0091
GHACOF 51 event notes - March 2019
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0090
CCDA-VII event notes - October 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0083
Notes from the WISER event on co-production at the Climate Change and Development in Africa conference.
GHACOF 50 event notes - August 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0082
Notes from the WISER side event on gender and equity at the 50th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum.
DARAJA kick off workshop problems & successes - August 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0081
DARAJA kick off workshop - Dar es Salaam - August 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0080
DARAJA kick off workshop - Nairobi - July 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0079
ASPIRE presentation - April 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0070
Initial WISER TRANSFORM Stakeholder Consultative Workshop - June 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0068
GHACOF 48 meeting notes - March 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0059
Details of WISER involvement in the 48th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum.
Report on the AMDAR Kenya Knowledge Sharing Consultation Workshops - January 2018
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0060
Service development meeting notes - Kenya Red Cross - December 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0025
SCIPEA Kenya Consortium Service Development Team meeting between Kenya Red Cross Society, Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) Institute of Meteorological Training and Research (IMTR) and the Met Office, November/December 2016.
Service development meeting notes - KenGen - December 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0026
SCIPEA Kenya Consortium Service Development Team meeting between KenGen, Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) Institute of Meteorological Training and Research (IMTR) and the Met Office, November 2016.
Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) workshop - December 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0011
An MEL workshop for the WISER programme was held in Nairobi in December, facilitated by LTS International. This provided an opportunity for key WISER stakeholders to come together and discuss the role of MEL in project and programme design and implementation. Read the meeting notes here.
Introduction to climatology review - presentation - November 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0015
This presentation reviews the November 2016 pilot of the Basic Instruction Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M) climatology training course.
Climate service and communication on disaster risk reduction - presentation - November 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0014
View the presentation produced by delegates on the pilot Basic Instruction Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M) climatology training course at the Institute of Meteorological Training and Research (IMTR) in Kenya.
WISER Consultative Meeting - October 2016
WISER knowledge reference number WISER0002
Key organisations involved in the WISER programme attended a meeting at the UNECA headquarters in Addis Ababa in October. An overview of the discussions can be viewed within the meeting notes.
You may also be interested in the following websites:
African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC)
Building Resilience & Adaptation to Climate Extremes & Disaster (BRACED)