All Posts in "Day: February 13, 2023"

WMO boosts digital transformation of Hydrometeorological Services in Africa

By Favour Nnabugwu
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in collaboration with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia through the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute (EMI), gathers decision-makers in weather, climate and water across Africa to enhance digital transformation of the Hydrometeorological Services in the Region.
The conference, which is currently ongoing from 13 -17 February 2023, will draw a strategic digital plan to enhance the capacities of Hydrometeorological Services in Africa and partnerships on the infrastructural strength of the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs).
The discussion includes partnerships in enhancing Communication in Service Delivery, Capacity Development, Research and Innovation and early warning in Africa.
The conference’s overall goal is to develop a strategy to boost the capacities of meteorological services in Africa through appropriate digital technologies for service delivery to provide early warning services for All.
According to the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, Professor Petteri Taalas, “’ Digitalization transformation of the Meteorological services in Africa will fasten data transmission speed and increase the ability to create products and services for real-time exchange of information, critical for forecasting and warnings of hydrometeorological hazards”
“By 2030 digital technologies will deliver reductions in carbon emissions equivalent nearly seven times the size of the growth in the ICT sector emissions and reduce emissions by 20% by 2050 in the highest-emitting sectors’, he added.
In his remark, the Ethiopian State
Minister for Water and Energy, H.E. Dr Abraha Adugna, noted that ‘’the frequency and intensity of hazards is significant in Africa and the impacts are having pressure in socioeconomic sectors.’’,
 ‘’The government of Ethiopia, in partnership with the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute (EMI), has established a modernized network for collecting and interpreting meteorological data for early warning services to improve lives and livelihood’’, he said.
Recently, African Governments have recognized the transformative potential of digital technologies within their countries.
They also recognize the importance of government in driving the movement towards a connected, digital economy which harnesses the power of technologies as a driver for economic growth and innovation.
However, the key to realizing this possibility lies in expanding digital adoption and inclusion across society.
The use of modern digital technology has an unexploited potential to offer through the value chain of climate services, including in fields such as data collection, co-design, dissemination, and personalization of services.
Much of the technologies to develop these areas are not yet fully utilized, and most of the reported progress is on data production rather than service development and delivery. Digital solutions hold the key to ensuring climate services lead to increased resilience in Africa.
The President of RAI, Mr Daouda Konate, said, ‘’It is essential to use innovative solutions to implement initiatives of Early Warning systems in Africa, and without digital transformation, our meteorological services cannot implement adequate early warning to our people. We must contribute to policies for the implementation of early warning for Africa.
To enhance last-mile communication, mobile telephone connectivity is essential. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data shows that 3G and 4G broadband coverage in Africa need to improve compared to developed regions such as America, Europe, and Australia.
These resources are essential for adequate weather and climate services and applications and dissemination to user communities.
These resources are essential for adequate weather and climate services and applications and dissemination to user communities. ITU noted that information and communication technologies (ICTs) “can help accelerate progress towards every single one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
 ICTs have provided a means to deliver goods and services in health care, education, finance, commerce, governance, and agriculture with unprecedented scale, speed, and accuracy. Such technologies can also have a multiplier effect on social and economic capital development.
They can help reduce poverty and hunger, boost health outcomes, create new jobs, mitigate climate change, improve energy efficiency, and make cities and communities sustainable.” African NMHSs will leverage on this progress to improve meteorological service delivery.
The African Union has developed its digital transformation strategy for Africa (2020-2030) with the vision to have an integrated and inclusive digital society and economy in Africa that will improve the quality of life of Africa’s citizens, strengthening the existing economic sector to enable its diversification and development.
It ensures continental ownership with Africa as a producer and not only as a consumer in the global economy.
Climate change continues to strike Africa with extreme weather events.
 There have been deadly floods in Nigeria, affecting more than 1.3 million people in October 2022, and devastating drought in the greater horn of Africa, including parts of Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia, where more than 13 million people are facing severe food insecurity. And the health of 6 million children from these countries is affected by malnutrition.
Crops are drying up due to failed consecutive rainy seasons in many parts; food harvests are expected to be much lower than normal. More than 3 million livestock supporting the livelihoods of pastoral communities have died in the Region.
The digital transformation of the NMHSs will make accessing severe weather warnings and alerts easy. The technology transformation will strengthen and modernize NMHSs to perform their public weather functions for the safety of lives and property.
The 18th Session of Regional Association I (RA I Africa) will follow the Regional Conference (RECO) from 13th -17th February 2023, while the High-Level Segment with the participation of Ministers responsible for Meteorology in Africa, will precede the RA I Session.
The focus will be on the ‘Early Warning for All’ (EWS4ALL), an initiative by the UN SG António Guterres. Meteorological service delivery will be the cornerstone of the Early Warning initiative. It will play a significant role towards WMO addressing the call by the United Nations to have all of the planet covered by EWS by 2027.
Patoma Admin by — February 13, 2023 in Aviation 0
RegentAfrica Times begins sensitisation ahead of 2023 elections…As Lecture holds tomorrow

 

.To Honour Humanitarians Champions and Fallen Heroes
By Favour Nnabugwu
The management of RegentAfrica Times newspapers  has begun it’s sensitasation programme as its 2nd annual public lecture and awards hold tomorrow.
The lecture organised in collaboration with the Nigerian Union of Journalists, FCT-Chapter, with support from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) theme: ‘2023 Enhacing Professionalism among security agencies, media and voters for free, fair & credible polls’
In a press statement signed by the Editor-in-Chief, RegentAfrica Times newspapers, Shola Akingboye, on Monday,  the media organization noted that the 2023 lecture focuses on addressing the key players in the coming elections: the Security Agencies, Media, and the Electorates, whose roles and conducts are expected to shape the much anticipated Nigeria general elections.
“Commenting in the event, Akingboye event focuses on tasking everyone on how to synergize for peaceful elections.
“We are joining the advocates for free, fair and credible polls with support from our major partners: the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ-FCT), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and the Africa Independent Television AIT”.
As a media organization, Akingboye  said, “we  must organize an event of this nature given the oath we swore to keep as a member of the fourth realm of the estate, saddled with the constitutional responsibility to inform and keep the public better informed on unfolding issues, especially as the 2023 Nigeria’s transition election approaches”
“However, the 2nd and the 2023 edition is strategic given the coming general elections and the need to engage critical stakeholders, hence the theme of the event and the February 14th date set aside for this year’s lecture.
 “The 2023 edition is designed to remind key players in the coming elections, the Security Agencies, the Media, the electorates, including election observers on the need to apply rules and operational ethics in discharging their duties while in the field for a peaceful and credible 2023 Nigerian polls.
“Meanwhile, the annual Humanitarian Awards segment is designed to honour individuals who are human rights promoters in their various capacities, including caregivers and humanitarian champions that live for others and the less-privileged, More deeply to our hearts in these categories of awards are the post-humours awards reserved for the fallen heroes who laid down their lives for the fatherland.
Relevant stakeholders expected at the event are invitees from the government quarters, the INEC, the legislative arm, the media, security agencies, NGOs, civil society organisations, including members of the diplomatic community in Nigeria, and the general public.
Patoma Admin by — February 13, 2023 in Business 0
South African insurers withdraw coverage of power grid

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

Several insurers have withdrawn the coverage for electricity grid failures due to sharp increase in rolling power outages in South Africa

The insurers include Hollard, Momentum, Outsurance and Santam.

Unlisted insurance giant Hollard has informed its clients that it won’t be covering any losses caused by the collapse of the national grid. “While grid failure remains unlikely, it is unfortunately now a possibility and reinsurers have indicated that they will not provide reinsurance cover in this eventuality,” Hollard spokesperson Warwick Bloom told Moneyweb.

Santam, South Africa’s biggest short-term insurance group, said that it would, from 1 April 2023, cease providing cover for electricity grid failure claims. This will be applied on the renewal of policies and to all new policies.

“The unprecedented levels of load shedding and pressure from global reinsurers that require Santam to reduce its exposure to business interruption claims arising from failure of public utilities and public telecommunications has led to the insurer implementing a general electricity grid failure exclusion on all policies,” it said.

South Africa has faced load shedding every day for the past three months, with the electricity public utility Eskom implementing the continuous rolling power outages to prevent the grid from collapsing while it overhauls its aged coal plants and other infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance has said there could be no intervention in insurers changing their position on covering load shedding or grid collapse events because of the contractual nature of the insurance policies.

Patoma Admin by — February 13, 2023 in Insurance 0
:Digitisation of motor insurance policies curb forgery in Cote D’Ivoire

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

Motor insurance is undergoing a transformation in Côte d’Ivoire with the introduction in January 2023 of digital auto insurance policies.

Checks carried out by the Insurance Department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance have led to the detection of forged auto insurance certificates both in Abidjan and in the interior of the country. The forgeries negatively impact the image of the insurance sector.

The digital platform centralises and offers insurance policies in electronic format by insurers while ensuring adherence to the minimum premium rate for compulsory motor third-liability insurance.

The president of the Association of Insurance Companies of Côte d’Ivoire (ASA-CI) Mamadou Koné, explained that it is a question of implementing a secure server for the generation of encrypted electronic certificate numbers with encryption of all transactions.

“This platform should be able to be interconnected with the information systems of key partners (Quipux, Sicta, Police, Gendarmerie, National Brown Card Office) to mutually expose and consume services while ensuring interactions and transactions between them,” he said

Patoma Admin by — February 13, 2023 in Insurance 0
NiMet warns  Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, 3 other states of 48hrs thick dust

… Asks public with respiratory problem to take caution,. * Children to be properly covered at nights
By Favour Nnabugwu
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency NiMet, has predicted a thick dust in the northern states including Borno, Yobe, Jigawa and 3 other states.tas the poor visibility will last for 48hours.
The other three state are Katsina, Kano and Kaduna. The agency said in a statement released to patomabusinessonline.com that warned the public on a possible deterioration of horizontal visibility in those states.following observed thick dust plumes from the source region of  Niger and Chad, 
Just as it warned individuals with respiratory problem to take caution while children should be properly covered at nights because of cold.
“NiMet expects that “in the next 24 hours, there are prospects of THICK DUST HAZE (In poor horizontal visibility, less than1000m) over Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano and Kaduna states; while other parts of the North and North Central states are expected to report Moderate Dust-Haze (visibility of 2–5km)”.
As a result, NiMet advised members of the public to take necessary precautions due to dust particles presently in suspension over the atmosphere. Individuals with respiratory ailments are advised to protect themselves as the current weather condition is not good for their health.
The agency also predicted cold in the night and cautioned children to be properly covered, “Night-time cold temperatures should be expected so warm clothes are advised for the little children”
The statement added that this weather condition is expected to persist for the next 48hours.
Aviation Industry is also not left out in the agency predictions as Airlines operators are advised to avail themselves of weather reports from NiMet for effective planning in their operations.
It promised to continue to monitor the weather and provide updates when necessary.from the NiMet Central Forecast Office (CFO).
Patoma Admin by — February 13, 2023 in Aviation 0