from SAMBULO DLAMINI in Mbabane, Eswatini
Eswatini Bureau
MBABANE, (CAJ News) – THE launch of the Drought Centre of Excellence in Eswatini is a landmark move in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) adopting technology to tackle climate change.
SADC, a 16-member nation regional bloc is among the regions worst hit by the phenomena globally and has been discussing strategies to deploy technology to tackle the impact.
The unveiling of the Centre of Excellence represents these plans coming to fruition.
Russell Dlamini, Eswatini Prime Minister, has unveiled the facility, which will be a hub for research, policy support and innovation for the region.
“It will harness science and technology, such as climate modelling and early warning systems, integrating indigenous knowledge that our communities have relied on for generations,” he said.
Officials from member states attended the landmark event on Wednesday.
“By linking science to practice, this centre will ensure that decisions made in boardrooms and centres of power are informed by the realities faced in our environment and communities,” Dlamini explained.
He added, “The centre will also increase disaster risk reduction knowledge through research and policy briefs, bridging the gap between the vulnerable population and science.”
In addition to the centre, the event unveiled the Eswatini National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and SADC Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Platform.
SADC is prone to climate change due to high dependence on rain-fed agriculture, thus suffers in the event of droughts, floods and cyclones.
The bloc comprises Angola, Botswana, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
– CAJ News