National Meteorology Policy

1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1

2.0 SITUATION ANALYSIS ...................................................................... 2

2.1 Demand for Weather and Climate Information ..................................... 2

2.1.1 Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries ............................................. 2

2.1.1 Forestry .................................................................................... 4

2.1.2 Health ....................................................................................... 4

2.1.3 Infrastructure Development ......................................................... 4

2.1.4 Transport .................................................................................. 5

2.1.5 Energy ...................................................................................... 5

2.1.6 Mining ......................................................................................... 5

2.1.7 Tourism .................................................................................... 5

2.1.8 Water ........................................................................................ 6

2.1.9 Disaster Risk Reduction .............................................................. 6

2.2 Climate Change and Variability ......................................................... 7

2.3 Equipment, Technology and Data Processing Tools .............................. 7

2.4 Management Information Systems ..................................................... 8

2.5 Dissemination of Weather and Climate Information ............................. 9

2.5.1 Access to Information and Coverage ............................................. 9

2.5.3 Misinformation on weather and Climate ...................................... 10

2.5.6 Gender and Disability ............................................................. 10

2.6 Stakeholder collaboration and International Participation .................. 10

2.6.1 Local and Community Collaboration ........................................ 10

2.6.2 Regional and International Collaboration .................................. 11

2.6.3 Cost Recovery and Commercialisation ........................................ 11

2.6.4 Research and Development ........................................................ 12

3.0 VISION, RATIONALE AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES ................................ 12

3.1 Vision........................................................................................... 12

3.2 Rationale ...................................................................................... 12 iii

3.3 Guiding Principles.......................................................................... 13

4.0 POLICY OBJECTIVES ..................................................................... 14

5.0 POLICY MEASURES ........................................................................ 14

6.0 IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK ..................................................... 15

6.1 Institutional Arrangement ............................................................ 15

6.2 Legal Framework ......................................................................... 18

6.3 Resource Mobilisation and Financing............................................. 18

6.4 Monitoring and Evaluation ........................................................... 18 iv WORKING DEFINITIONS Product Something produced to be sold, shared with value to the user Automatic Weather Station A weather/climate station that is installed to automatically transmits or records weather/climate elements Manual Weather Station Weather/climate station manned by trained observers Aviation Services: Services that are produced and shared for safety operation of aircrafts. Weather The state/changing of the atmospheric con- dition of a place and time. Climate The average weather of a place for a long pe- riod of time at least 30 years or more Meteorology The study/science of the atmosphere Climatology The study/science of the behavior of the at- mosphere and changes in climate varia- bles or weather conditions averaged over a period of time Commercialization The process of managing or running some- thing principally for financial gain. Cost Recovery The ability to recover (deduct) the cost of in- vestment in a business transaction. Climate Variability The way aspects of climate differing from an average (such as temperature and precipita- tion). Agro-Climatology The study of climate aspects which are rele- vant to the problems of agriculture. Agrometeorological Bulletin The localized product co-produced containing meteorological and agricultural information or advisories Service Provision of meteorological information in a way that assists decision making by individ- uals and organizations Weather Forecast The prediction of the state/changing of the atmospheric condition of a place and time v ACRONYMS AMSS Automatic Message Switching System AWS Automatic Weather Station CDT Climate Data Tool CLICOM CLImate COMputing System CSOs Civil Society Organisation DMMU Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit DRR Disaster Risk Reduction ENACTS Enhancing National Climate Services 8NDP Eighth National Development Plan GSM Global System for Mobile ICAO International Civil Aviation Organisation ICT Information Communications Technology MWS Manual Weather Stations NGOs Non-Governmental Organisations NMP National Meteorology Policy NMHS National Meteorological and Hydrological Services SCRALA Strengthening Climate Resilience of Agricultural Livelihoods in Agro- Ecological Regions SDGs Sustainable Development Goals TRALARD Transforming Landscapes for Resilience and Development UNDP United Nations Development Programme WB World Bank WMO World Meteorological Organization WRF Weather Research and Forecasting ZASTI Zambia Air Services Training Institute ZMD Zambia Meteorological Department vi

1.0. INTRODUCTION Meteorological services facilitate actors in socio-economic sectors to make informed decisions, enhance efficiency and reduce risks in their operations and draw benefits associated with accurate and timely provision of weather and climate services. However, the provision of the meteorological services in Zambia has had some challenges due to inadequate and poor maintenance of meteorological equipment, deteriorating observation infrastructure and inadequate professional and technical personnel among others. Arising from the challenges above, the potential to derive maximum benefits from weather and climate products and services for sustainable development has not been fully realized. It should be noted that changes in weather and climate adversely impacts all sectors of the economy. This has often resulted in extreme and frequent drought, floods and flash floods, heavy rainfall and stormy/strong winds, thereby, resulting in food insecurity, loss of property and life, unemployment, increased disease burden among others. The need for accurate and more reliable weather and climate information is, thus, critical to all sectors in the country to enable informed decision making and promote efficient, resilient and adaptive capacity to risks associated with weather and climate variability. In this regard, the demand for weather and climate information over the years has increased across all the sectors of the economy. Further, the advancement of technology has generated an ongoing evolution in demand for and availability of weather, climate, water and related information services. In order to satisfy the increasing demand for weather and climate information, it became, therefore, necessary to review the National Meteorology Policy (NMP) of 2013. In addition to the demand factors, the revised Policy is envisaged to address the outstanding challenges of inadequate equipment, technology and data processing tools as well as that of inadequate management information systems for weather and climate information to be provided effectively and efficiently. The lessons and experiences drawn from the implementation of the 2013 Policy provided basis upon which this Policy was developed. The Policy also considers extreme and recurring changes in weather and climate pattern which has continued to be experienced over the past decades. The 2023 National Meteorology Policy has incorporated various development frameworks and initiatives spearheaded at national, regional and international levels. In order to enrich the formulation of this Policy, consultations with key stakeholders at Provincial and National levels were very critical, as they provided very valuable insights. 1 The Policy is structured in Five Sections as follows; Introduction; Situation Analysis; Vision, Rationale and Guiding Principles; Objectives and Measures; and Implementation Framework.

2.0. SITUATION ANALYSIS Meteorological services are provided to agriculture and fisheries, health, water and sanitation, energy, transport (air, land and water), infrastructure, disaster management, among others. The following are the key issues which characterise the provision of meteorological services in the country:

2.1. Demand for Weather and Climate Information During the last few decades, there has been rapid growth in demand for weather and climate forecast information. The demand for weather and climate information is projected to increase even faster in the coming years in view of growing extreme weather events, the increase in populations, new settlements, increased economic activities and other environmental risks. This challenge has been worsened by the limited capacities and skills set to provide adequate meteorological services. Analysis of weather on 24 hours basis is only undertaken at Kenneth Kaunda and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe international airports. There is also inadequate capacity to generate area and sector tailored information owing to inadequate specialised training and equipment. Based on the required standards by both WMO and ICAO, there are inadequacies in personnel to manage airport observations on a 24-hour basis. In addition, the provision of aeronautical meteorological services was compounded by the inadequate personnel competences required by both the WMO and ICAO standards. Further, there is inadequate backup or alternative system for weather observations monitoring at the airports and aerodromes across the country. Furthermore, the calibration of the observation equipment is not done according to the prescribed schedule and as such there is a risk of falling back on the standards set by ICAO for instrumentation thus may compromise ISO certification. ICT infrastructure is also inadequate thus posing challenges in issuance of accurate aeronautical meteorological services. This is evident in all climate sensitive areas as follows:

2.1.1. Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Weather and climate information are critical for the effective management of agricultural systems. Farmers need timely and accurate weather and 2 climate information to assist in optimizing the use of resources such as water, land and fertilizers. The availability of this information can have a significant impact on productivity, sustainability and profitability. In addition, farmers do not have adequate information on weather and climate. The available information is not translated for ease of understanding by farmers in various localities apart from the seasonal rainfall forecast which is translated into seven (7) local languages. Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity making it more challenging for farmers to plan and manage their crops effectively. Therefore, farmers need to understand these trends in order to make informed decisions about what to grow and when to sell their crops. Understanding the risks and opportunities associated with climate change is important to farmers for them to develop adaptation and mitigation strategies. In crop management, weather and climate information is very critical for determining the optimal growing conditions for crops which includes moisture and temperature requirements of plants as well as the timing of pests, disease outbreaks and other associated risks. For farmers to forecast the markets, they will need to understand the trends in weather and climate information in order for them to make informed decisions about what to grow and when to sell their crops. During the period of heavy rain, flooding leads to crops submerging, soil erosion, washing away and leaching of nutrients, crop failure, contamination of the crops and soil, thereby affecting crop production and productivity as well as food security. On the other hand, during the time of drought and prolonged dry spell, crops are also affected through crop stress and damage, crop diseases, resulting in low yields. With regard to livestock and fish farming, there is need for access to adequate water for livestock and fish to survive (in cases of drought), therefore, information about precipitation, humidity and soil moisture can help farmers plan for water availability. Weather patterns can influence the prevalence of certain livestock diseases and extreme weather conditions, such as extreme high and low temperature, floods, droughts which result in pest attacks, loss of pasture and eventually, loss of livestock. This ultimately affects food security and productivity in the country. Meteorological services provided to fisheries have a significant role in early warning for food security. Fishing industries are affected by changes in weather. Low temperatures affect the growth of fish due to low feed intake while at high temperatures, oxygen consumption increases while oxygen content decrease in the water due to lower saturation pressure making oxygen a clear limiting factor when temperatures are high. This is likely to 3 affect the growth of the fish. Optimal temperatures, therefore, promote normal growth of fish when the water levels are shallow. On the other hand, changes in wind direction and wind speed has potential to cause disasters on water bodies which endangers lives of fishermen. Despite the relevance of weather and climate information to the agriculture sector, the provision of this service is inadequate due to lack of area specific weather information. Further, rural farmers have limited access to weather and climate information. This problem is further worsened by limited adaptation measures in place such as alternative irrigation, drought/pest resistant crops, thereby negatively impacting on the health and wellbeing of crops and livestock.

2.1.2. Forestry The management of forestry require accurate and reliable information on weather and climate. This information is necessary for establishment of new plantations as well as monitoring vegetation growth in existing forests. The availability of this information could have a significant impact on the sustainability and profitability of the forests and the forest industry. Despite the importance of weather and climate information to this sector, the provision of this service is inadequate due to lack of area specific information.

2.1.3. Health There is increasing demand for weather and climate information due to escalating health problems caused by climatic variables. These climatic variables include rainfall, temperature and humidity among others. Weather patterns determine the incidences and severity of diseases and conditions such as malaria, cholera, typhoid and malnutrition. In a bid to promote good health practices through preventive and curative health services, the Ministry of Health (MOH) works closely with ZMD for information on rainfall, temperature and humidity conditions for informed decision making. However, the provision of such information is inadequate due to limited capacity to avail area specific data. Further, access to such information is not always readily available.

2.1.4. Infrastructure Development The development of infrastructure requires area specific and high- resolution data for it to withstand extreme climatic and weather conditions such as high temperatures, strong winds, floods and heavy rainfall among others. During heavy rainfall and strong winds, it is not uncommon for facilities such as schools, health and housing infrastructures to have roofs blown off or collapsing as well as bridges and roads being washed away 4 due to stormy/strong winds and floods thus negatively affecting delivery of public services.

2.1.5. Transport The main forms of transportation in Zambia are by land, air and water. The provision of meteorological data and information to the transport sector is, therefore, important for planning and decision making in order to ensure safety and efficiency. For instance, in air transport navigation, meteorological data and information is used for pre-flight planning, take- off and landing, and enroute planning. Similarly, in water transport, weather forecasts are necessary to enhance the safety and efficiency of navigation. However, there is inadequate provision of weather information which at times lead to accidents, loss of lives, property, economic losses, disruptions and delays in the delivery of transport services. However, although this information is provided to the transport sector, the capacity to avail consistent and area specific information on weather and climate still remain an outstanding challenge.

2.1.6. Energy The country has witnessed an increase in the demand for power due to increased population and economic activities which necessitated the need to develop alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and hydro power which are all dependent on weather and climate factors. Inadequate weather and climate information could result in wrong targeting of investments in energy/power generation projects, inefficient utilisation of energy resources. However, the information provided is more general than specific to meet the requirements of the sector.

2.1.7. Mining The mining sector requires weather and climate information to prepare and avoid disruptions in undertaking mining activities. Inadequate weather and climate information negatively affects operations, thus, raising the risk of accidents, loss of life, property, operational disruptions and ultimately reducing productivity and increasing the cost of production. However, the information provided is more general than specific to meet the requirements of the mining sector.

2.1.8. Tourism The tourism sector is fast growing and significantly contributes to national and local economies. Tourists rely on weather forecasts and climate information before and during their vacations to help them plan activities and make strategic decisions. Therefore, for the industry to continue thriving, it requires various information, among them meteorological information. Weather and climate information is important to the tourism industry as it facilitates effective and efficient preparations for 5 opportunities and challenges that arise due to changes in weather and climate, thus, affecting tourism activities. Climatic parameters including rainfall, temperature, humidity, radiation and extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones are key to facilitate access to specific tourism places for various tourist activities. Weather and climate information to meet the needs of the tourism sector has not been adequately provided.

2.1.9. Water Zambia is endowed with 40% of water resources in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. This makes the utilisation of weather and climate information critical to the water sector for hydrological characterization, water supply, flood management and control, irrigation and drainage among others. This information is also necessary for identification of populations vulnerable to weather and climate hazards as well as the implementation of risk management and emergency preparedness practices and procedures. Despite providing weather forecast information, there is still limited capacity to generate quality and reliable data to comprehensively meet the specific needs of the water sector. The inadequate weather and climate information negatively affects the efficient and effective management of both surface and ground water resources. This, therefore, hinders the sustainable management of the water resources in the country.

2.1.10. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) It has been estimated by WMO that 90% of all-natural disasters globally are attributed to weather conditions. In Zambia common disaster risks include; droughts, floods, epidemics, pests, environmental degradation and accidents among others. The ability to adapt to the impacts of weather and climate is, therefore, appropriate to contain the risks arising from the occurrence of natural disasters. In the last three years, the country has progressed from providing general meteorological information to providing district specific weather and climate information which is meant to address problems related to occurrence of disasters. However, the mechanism to provide area specific information still remains a challenge. This limits the capacity of relevant authorities and communities to respond and contain the adverse effects that arise as a result of disaster occurrences and thereby increasing the community’s vulnerability. Consequently, there is increased loss or damage to property, infrastructure including loss of lives and livelihoods. 6

2.2. Climate Change and Variability In the last three (3) decades (1991 to 2020), climate change and variability has led to recurring extreme weather events such as seasonal floods and flash floods, extreme temperatures, heavy rainfalls and droughts, with increased severity and frequency. These have had significant impact on the ecosystems and climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, mining, infrastructure, health, water and energy. According to the Zambia Meteorological Department the annual average temperature has been increasing at the rate of 0.29 degrees Celsius per decade since 1960. On the other hand, average decrease in rainfall of 1.9mm per month per decade since 1960. The aforementioned adverse impacts of climate change have been compounded by inadequate research and development in climate change, low utilisation of available research findings as well as inadequate skills and low adoption of modern technologies. These factors are key in determining the extent of weather and climate variations and its effect on the country, as they can compromise the efficacy of adaptation and mitigation strategies.

2.3. Equipment, Technology and Data Processing Tools The reliable meteorological service provision relies heavily on adequate observation and weather analysis platforms. Zambia has an area of 752,614 sq. km which requires 1,204 weather observation stations and 7,526 rainfall stations to meet the required standard of one weather station every 25km and one rainfall station every 10km. However, the country only has a total of 295 weather stations and 500 voluntary rainfall stations, leaving a deficit of 909 and 7,026 respectively. As at the end of December 2023, the country had 42 Manual Weather Stations (MWS) and 253 Automated Weather Stations (AWS) in 116 districts. However, despite this effort the coverage is still inadequate leaving most parts of the country without weather observation stations. In addition, most of the manual weather stations are in poor state with dilapidated old office buildings, obsolete equipment and inadequately staffed. Further, the absence of upper air stations which gives the vertical profile of atmosphere and telecommunication systems has presented challenges in the gathering and sharing of meteorological observations data and products required for local and international use. This is in order to comply with the regulations laid down by WMO and ICAO. The country has inadequate early warning systems as it does not have equipment such as storm warning radar, lightening detectors, air quality and marine meteorology sensors, upper air observation equipment, among others. There is still inadequate, obsolete and outdated meteorological equipment in all 42 MWS. Further, the irregular repair, maintenance and calibration of meteorological equipment has also exacerbated the problem. As at 7 December 2022, all the MWS in the country were using mercury-based instruments to observe weather elements such as temperature and pressure. Mercury–based instruments have been recommended to be phased out following the Minamata Convention on Mercury held in Japan in 2013. As at the end of year 2022, the Meteorology Department had been using Preparation for the Use of Meteosat Second Generation in Africa (PUMA) 2015 system, Climate Data Tool (CDT), Enhancing National Climate Services (ENACTS), Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) as weather and climate data processing tools. However, some of the forecasting and data processing tools being used require high speed internet and performance computing facilities which are inadequate. This has resulted in the production of generalised weather and climate information which is not sufficient for informed decision making. Regarding the exchange of data from the Stations to Head Office and consequently to the International Centre, the department uses Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication and Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) respectively. However, both the GSM phones and the AMSS are old and outdated and have, therefore, proven to be a challenge during the exchange of Meteorological data.

2.4. Management Information Systems An effective and efficient management information system is important for processing, data sharing, monitoring, calibration and ultimately, timely dissemination of weather and climate information for informed decision making. Over the past few years, Government has made significant progress in the use of climate data information systems for data collection, storage, retrieval, forecasting, analysis and transmission. However, despite these achievements, there has been inadequate availability and utilisation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for data observation, visualization and information dissemination. The provision of meteorological services has been negatively affected by limited computing capacity and slow internet connectivity, thereby inhibiting effective data collection, exchange and management including data archiving. The information management system has also been inadequate, such that, there has been an accumulation of historical data kept in paper form. For instance, ZMD has been using CLImate COMputing system (CLICOM) and Climate Software (CLIMSOFT) as climate database management systems. However, both systems are inadequate as CLICOM is outdated while CLIMSOFT requires continuous development and additional computing infrastructure for it to be fully operationalised. Inadequate utilisation of ICT has also contributed to the limitation in timely data exchange. Local station networks transmit to the central server which then transmits to regional and global centres. However, due 8 to limited bandwidth and outdated technologies, there have been delays in the transmission of data from local station networks to global centres. In addition, the climate data is not well secured, thereby posing data security risks due to threats from hacking, outbreak of fire, sabotage and computer virus among others.

2.5. Dissemination of Weather and Climate Information The dissemination of weather and climate information is characterised by the following issues:

2.5.1. Access to Information and Coverage There are very few people accessing weather and climate information in both urban and rural areas due to inadequate communication platforms. However, the most deprived of this information is the rural population. In an effort to improve access to information, ZMD collaborates with various stakeholders and partners, among them DMMU and Ministry of Agriculture to disseminate weather and climate information. However, challenges are that not all camp officers are on the WhatsApp platforms and resources to translate this information in local languages and hold discussion forums are usually not available. Another mode of disseminating information is by use of Short Messaging System (SMS) portal through which users were able to receive weather alerts. This allowed weather information to reach users that had no smart phones thereby expanding on the audience coverage. The challenge in this mode of dissemination had been inadequacy of resources to obtain a perpetual licence for sustained dissemination of information. In addition, the department partnered with community radio stations who also receive information through the WhatsApp platform and then disseminated in local languages on the various community radio stations. Further, phone-in programmes are done which have been proven to be an effective platform for dissemination for weather and climate information to the public. Despite this success, the challenge encountered is that most of these radio and television stations are privately owned and therefore, charge ZMD for the provision of this service. The other challenge has been that very few radio presenters are trained in interpreting meteorological information and are usually unable to translate this information in local languages. Dissemination of weather and climate information is furthermore done through the weather studio owned by ZMD. With this platform, weather forecast videos are produced and shared with television stations for further dissemination of information to the public. This platform has also been useful in reducing the cost of production and improving access to weather and climate information. However, the television stations have been charging ZMD for weather and information dissemination services to the 9 public. This has been costly and unsustainable to disseminate information to the public through the television platform.

2.5.3. Misinformation on weather and Climate Furthermore, it has been noted that due to increased use of social media, the public have been exposed to unreliable and unauthenticated meteorological information resulting in increasing trends of misinformation on weather. This can be attributed to mushrooming number of unqualified personnel masquerading as experts on weather issues. There are no legal provisions in place for the ZMD to regulate this practice.

2.5.6. Gender and Disability The impacts of climate variability affect vulnerable groups, including women, children, and persons with disabilities more than others in a community. In this regard, gender differences usually exist in terms of type, content of information and modes of communication needed. In most cases, when weather and climate information is being disseminated, women have significantly lower access to information as well as access to technologies required to be used such as mobile telephones. This, therefore, creates an information and digital technology gender gap. According to the Digital 2021 Zambia report, as of January 2021, there were 8.74 million mobile internet users in Zambia, which is equivalent to 47.5% of the total population. However, only 49% of women used mobile internet, compared to 94% of men. Persons with disabilities such as those with visual cognitive and hearing disabilities in most cases are marginalized when packaging, interpreting and disseminating of weather and climate information.

2.6. Stakeholder collaboration and International Participation Weather and climate information is important and informs activities of various sectors in the economy. However, in recent years, it has been observed that collaboration among key stakeholders has been weak as most of them have been working in isolation and information sharing is limited. The weak coordination and collaboration among key stakeholders in the sector do not only lead to duplication of efforts, but also to conflicting weather information. In this regard, collaboration with stakeholders has been as follows:

2.6.1. Local and Community Collaboration ZMD has been collaborating with local communities and stakeholders in the provision of meteorological services. Some of the collaborative efforts are services provided by the community through the collection of rainfall data at rain gauges installed at facilities such as schools, health centres, 10 churches, farms and in villages. However, although success has been made in collaborating with communities in this nature, equipment installed at these facilities have not been maintained sustainably due to vandalism and inadequate resources. In addition, in the past few years, collaboration with the community regarding recording and transmission of meteorological data was being done through project initiatives some of which have since been closed and handed over to Government. These projects used to have a component of incentivising stakeholders by providing them with phones, airtime, stationary, raincoats and gumboots etc. for their use. However, Government has had no capacity to sustain the provisions of incentives to stakeholders who are engaged in the collection and dissemination of weather information. This, therefore, has hindered effective participation of local communities and other private stakeholders who voluntarily record meteorological information on behalf of the ZMD. Further, there has been limited collaborations with traditional leadership in incorporating indigenous knowledge on weather and climate issues.

2.6.2. Regional and International Collaboration The collaboration with regional and international bodies facilitated domestication of agreements and treaties (protocols, conventions and frameworks) and also ensured adherence to various requirements and obligations such as those under the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and Southern African Development Community (SADC) among others. Over the years, ZMD has benefitted from the guidelines, regulations and instruments issued, as well as from the financing, infrastructure maintenance and training provided by the regional and international bodies. While there have been notable collaborations with the regional and international bodies, there have been delays in the remitting of the required subscriptions by the country. This had limited the country’s opportunities to harness significant benefits such as continuous professional development, donation of meteorology equipment among others, as only paid-up Member States are considered.

2.6.3. Cost Recovery and Commercialisation The Government has since independence been providing specialised weather and climate services to the aviation sector and other commercial entities for free. The non-commercialisation of specialised services has negatively impacted the sustainable provision of quality weather and climate services. In the sub region, countries that have adopted cost recovery and partial commercialisation as the best practice for sustained provision of meteorological services include Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. 11

2.6.4. Research and Development For the purpose of advancing meteorology and its applications to socio- economic development, ZMD conducts research in meteorology and collaborates with various institutions concerned with meteorological research. The research findings provide information on the status of weather and climate in Zambia focusing on meteorological parameters such as temperature, rainfall and extreme weather events on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual time scale. However, it has been noted that the linkages and collaboration with research institutions have been weak. The weak collaboration limits the extent to which climate data generated by ZMD can be utilised by end users for planning and decision making. Further, undertaking of meteorological research has been hampered by inadequate infrastructure, finance and human resource.

3.0. VISION, RATIONALE AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES

3.1. Vision “Accurate, adequate and timely weather and climate services for sustainable development.”

3.2. Rationale Meteorology is central in the socio-economic development of a country as it provides support to operations of various sectors such as agriculture, mining, tourism, environment and natural resources, transport, energy, water, health as well as infrastructure development and maintenance. Over the years, in Zambia, the provision of meteorological services has evolved and expanded to include other socio-economic sectors. However, the development of the Meteorology sector in the country has lagged and not in tandem with the increased demand for meteorology services from various sectors. The lag has been compounded by inadequacies in policy and legal provisions coupled with budgetary constraints for improved capacities. The lag has also been due to inadequate investment in modern and advanced technologies and infrastructure as well as weak monitoring and forecasting capacity including early warning of extreme weather events hence the need to revise the policy. The revision of the policy was necessitated by the need to address the increasing demand for weather and climate information due to challenges posed by climate variability and change that have negatively impacted the 12 social and economic sectors and the environment in general. The negative impacts are evidenced by recurring extreme weather events such as high temperatures, floods, droughts, frequent prolonged dry spells and heavy rainfall. Some of these events have resulted in pests and diseases thus impacting human and animal health. These negative impacts have the potential to reverse the progress towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, Vision 2030 as well as the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP). It is against this background that the revised National Meteorology Policy will enhance the provisions of meteorological services thus contributing to national development.

3.3. Guiding Principles The following principles shall be applied in achieving the purpose of this Policy: 1. Accountability and Transparency The Policy will ensure meteorological services are provided in a responsible and timely manner by following WMO and ICAO standard operating procedures and regular provision of information to all stakeholders for decision-making process; 2. Partnership The Policy will promote effective stakeholder collaboration and partnership in an integrated approach; 3. Excellence The Policy will facilitate efficient and effective processing, generation and dissemination of timely, accurate weather and climate information for planning and decision making; 4. Good Governance The implementation of the policy will be done in line with the existing legal and institutional frameworks in the manner that will be free of abuse; 5. Human Dignity The Policy will be implemented by ensuring that weather and climate services and national early warning systems are provided timely and accurately in order to protect human rights; 6. Equity 13 The Policy will ensure effective, impartial and fair access to timely and accurate weather and climate services without discrimination. 7. Sustainable Development The Policy will ensure the provision of accurate weather and climate information to all sectors to inform planning and decision making without compromising the aspirations of the present and future generations.

4.0. POLICY OBJECTIVES In order to ensure that the vision of the meteorology sub-sector in the country is realised, the Policy objectives will be as follows: a) Improve the capacity to provide timely and accurate meteorological services to all socio-economic sectors for the attainment of sustainable development; b) Increase knowledge and awareness levels in weather and climate in order to have an informed public; c) Strengthen national, regional and international coordination and collaboration; and d) Strengthen research and development.

5.0. POLICY MEASURES The following measures will be undertaken for each of the Policy objectives: Objective 1 To improve the capacity in the provision of timely and accurate meteorological services to all socio-economic sectors for the attainment of sustainable development. Measures (i) Strengthen human resource capacity; (ii) Enhance management information system; (iii) Enhance capacities in weather infrastructure and observation station network. Objective 2 Increase knowledge and awareness levels in weather and climate in order to have an informed public. Measures 14 (i) Strengthen the mechanism for information sharing and dissemination; (ii) Strengthen early warning and climate advisory mechanisms across all sectors; (iii) Promote access to and utilization of ICT platforms among people in rural areas; (iv) Enhance inclusion of persons with disabilities in the dissemination of weather and climate information; and (v) Promote the integration of indigenous knowledge in weather and climate issues. Objective 3 Strengthen national, regional and international coordination and collaboration. Measures (i) Strengthen mechanisms for sharing weather and climate information at national, provincial, district and community levels; (ii) Enhance systems and practices for sharing weather and climate information at regional and international levels; and (iii) Enhance collaboration with training institutions on weather and climate at local, regional and international. Objective 4 Strengthen research and development. Measures: (i) Promote research and uptake of research findings; (ii) Enhance capacities to develop local technological solutions; and (iii) Establish a research fund for weather and climate research and development.

6.0. IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK The successful implementation of the NMP shall depend on the following implementation framework:

6.1. Institutional Arrangement The implementation of the National Meteorology Policy shall depend on the following institutional arrangement: a) Ministry responsible for meteorology. The Ministry will be responsible for the overall coordination of the implementation of the Policy. The cross- cutting nature of meteorological applications require that the Ministry provides meteorological services to all 15 sectors of the economy. In this regard, it will oversee and collaborate with institutions that are key in the provision of weather and climate information. b) Other Government Ministries and Institutions Other Government Ministries and institutions shall play their respective roles in the implementation of the NMP in line with their respective portfolio mandates as follows: (i) Cabinet Office Shall provide oversight on the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the policy. (ii) Office of the Vice President Collaborate in communicating early warnings of weather-related disasters to the public as well as preparedness in case of prediction of such disasters. In addition, will be responsible for disaster management, development and implementation of national disaster contingency plan as part of disaster risk management. (iii) Ministry responsible for information and media: Shall collaborate by raising awareness and disseminating weather and climate information as well as providing the platform for feedback. (iv) Ministry responsible for finance and national planning: Shall facilitate and provide financial resources to enable successful implementation of the policy as well as mainstream weather and climate information into the national development plans. (v) Ministry responsible for agriculture: Shall collaborate in data collection, interpretation, application, and dissemination of weather and climate information as well as through co- production of advisories. (vi) Ministry responsible for fisheries and livestock: Shall collaborate in data collection, interpretation, application, and dissemination of weather and climate information as well as through co- production of advisories to support aquaculture and livestock production; (vii) Ministry responsible for education: Shall collaborate by hosting weather stations in various learning institutions and ensure safety of equipment in order to prevent vandalism. In addition, the Ministry will strengthen the provision of meteorology education from early childhood to tertiary level; (viii) Ministry responsible for transport: Shall collaborate in the utilisation of meteorological information to air navigation, land and water transport among others; 16 (ix) Ministry responsible for health: Shall collaborate in the utilisation of weather and climate alerts and advisories to enhance preparedness and response against weather related diseases as well as through the development of management and surveillance strategies; (x) Ministry responsible for tourism Shall collaborate in data collection, interpretation, application, and dissemination of weather and climate information as well as through co- production of advisories to support the development and growth of tourism and wildlife sector; (xi) Ministry responsible for water development Shall collaborate in co-production of hydro-meteorological information and the utilization of weather and climate information for effective water resource management; (xii) Ministry responsible for infrastructure development: Shall collaborate through the utilization of weather and climate information for planning, designing and construction of climate resilient infrastructure; (xiii) Ministry responsible for physical planning Shall collaborate through the utilization of weather and climate information for rural and urban planning; (xiv) Ministry responsible for science and technology: Shall collaborate by enhancing the provision of meteorological services through the adoption and application of science and technology; Other line Ministries will collaborate in accordance with their portfolio functions as outlined in the Government Gazette; (xv) Smart Zambia Institute Shall collaborate with the ministry in enhancing ICT infrastructure and internet connectivity for improved provision of meteorological services; c) Cooperating Partners Cooperating Partners will support the effective implementation of this Policy through the provision of technical assistance and financial resources; d) Private Sector The private sector is expected to contribute to the implementation of the policy by participating in research, development of technology and utilisation of weather and climate information for socio-economic development; e) Training and Research Institutions These will collaborate by providing meteorological training and undertaking research to improve provision of meteorological services for informed decision making. 17 f) Other key stakeholders Key stakeholder which include but not limited to: Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisation (CSOs), Faith and Community Based Organisations, traditional leaders, farmers, local communities and the general public are expected to play a role of supporting the implementation of the policy in line with their mandates.

6.2. Legal Framework The legal framework supporting the provision of meteorological services include: Civil Aviation Act No.5 of 2016, Disaster Management Act No.13 of 2010, Environmental Management (Amendment) Act. No. 8 of 2023 and Water Resources Management Act No. 21 of 2012, among others. However, there is need to put in place legislation that will regulate the provision of meteorological services.

6.3. Resource Mobilisation and Financing The implementation of the policy will require mobilisation of resources from both local and external sources. Government shall ensure that annual budgetary allocations are provided for implementation of programmes and activities for the policy objectives to be achieved. The role of cooperating partners and other development partners is also expected to be essential in supplementing Government efforts during the implementation of the policy.

6.4. Monitoring and Evaluation The implementation of this Policy will be monitored by the Ministry responsible for meteorological services in collaboration with other line Ministries and other stakeholders. During the implementation of the Policy, periodic reviews will be undertaken to assess progress in programme implementation. Further, a mid and end-term evaluations shall be undertaken to determine the impact of implementing the Policy. 18