Capacity Building for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Risk Reduction in Africa 2025
2025-01-27
Helwan, Egypt – The African Disaster Mitigation Research Center (ADMiR), hosted by the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) and funded by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development (EPAD), has successfully concluded a two-week training program designed to strengthen African capacities in monitoring and mitigating natural disasters.
The program brought together 15 experts from 10 African countries – Togo, Malawi, Guinea, Somalia, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Mauritius, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan – fostering cross-border knowledge exchange and collaboration across the continent.
The initiative targeted critical gaps hindering disaster risk reduction in Africa, including limited access to data, inadequate monitoring infrastructure, and a shortage of specialized personnel. Over the course of the training, participants gained practical skills in geophysical data analysis, technical reporting, and modern approaches to risk and crisis management, with a strong emphasis on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
During the closing ceremony, Prof. Taha Rabah, President of NRIAG, reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to advancing African cooperation and sustainable development. Ambassador Mohamed Azmy, Assistant Secretary-General of EPAD, underlined the value of collaborative efforts in building resilient communities. Dr. Ahmed Hamdy, Executive Director of the African Union Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation, stressed the importance of such programs in enhancing Africa’s resilience and advancing the African Agenda in science, technology, and innovation. The event was also attended by representatives from the Egyptian Cabinet, the Egyptian Meteorological Authority, and African embassies in Cairo.
Participants expressed pride in the program’s achievements and emphasized the need to continue similar initiatives to strengthen Africa’s ability to anticipate, withstand, and recover from natural disasters. They pledged to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their home countries and to enhance cooperation with local and regional institutions.
This program reflects Egypt’s vision for a safer, more resilient Africa and reinforces the role of ADMiR as an African Union reference center for research and capacity building in natural disaster risk reduction.
