ALBATROSS has completed a comprehensive assessment of the availability, accessibility, and utilisation of climate and environmental data and services in Sub-Saharan Africa based on online sources. The task was led by researchers at the University of Ghana, and this effort is intended to enhance collaboration, support the integration of climate services into adaptation strategies, support nature-based solutions, and contribute to sustainable climate resilience development.

Sub-Saharan Africa is among the most climate-vulnerable regions in the world, facing a diverse range of climate-related challenges that are further compounded by poverty and limited access to reliable and practical climate and environmental services. While a vast amount of climate and environmental information is generated globally, significant barriers remain in terms of accessibility, usability, and integration of this data into national and local adaptation strategies. These barriers hinder policymakers, researchers, and local communities from effectively leveraging climate services to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to climate risks.

The database will help overcome these barriers by providing a comprehensive, structured catalogue of existing climate services, datasets, and environmental information. The University of Ghana team surveyed 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and came up with a list of 320 climate and environmental services. The database shows that widely available climate services include weather forecasting, early warning systems, and climate monitoring, in addition to sector-specific services, such as agriculture, aviation, hydrometeorology, and water resource management. However, gaps remain in areas such as impact-based forecasting, urban climate monitoring, and climate-health risk analysis, which are essential for strengthening climate resilience.

Significant disparities in climate service availability have been found across Sub-Saharan Africa. While some countries benefit from well-established national meteorological institutions, others lack sufficient national capacity and rely heavily on global datasets.

Given the complexity of climate service availability and the evolving needs of project stakeholders, including communities, a follow-up activity is needed on the delivery of this map of existing climate data and services. The work will involve national meteorological agencies, environmental institutions, and other stakeholders within the Climate Resilience Development (CRD) Hubs, which will help fill critical gaps, capture offline climate services, and refine the existing database to better align with the needs of decision-makers, researchers, and adaptation planners.