At the opening of the ClimAfrica 2025 Forum in Skhirat, the minister emphasized the importance of intensifying international and regional cooperation, particularly through South-South partnerships, to share experiences and build joint initiatives in the field of climate.
In this regard, he assured that Morocco is ready to share its expertise for the continent and develop joint projects with its African partners in line with regional strategies.
Mr. Baraka also stressed the importance of involving both public and private sectors to mobilize funding, develop new services, and enhance local and regional capacities.
Additionally, he praised the role played by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the African Centre for Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), highlighting that climate financing, particularly through multilateral development banks, is essential to transform ambitions into actions and build real sustainable resilience.
The minister pointed out that resilience to extreme weather events cannot occur without efficient and effective detection services, noting that many African countries still face shortcomings in detection, funding, and alert dissemination.
In this context, Mr. Baraka highlighted the pioneering role of the Moroccan Directorate-General of Meteorology (DGM), recognized as a regional reference player in the fields of climate services and weather data, reaffirming the DGM’s commitment to active cooperation with its regional partners.
For his part, Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, emphasized that the industry-climate nexus will be a growth driver for Africa by 2030, asserting that Morocco, competitive in renewable energy, is on its way to becoming a regional hub for developing a decarbonized and circular industrial base, as well as a preferred destination for low-carbon industrial production.
In the long term, the Kingdom aims to become a key player in the production and export of green hydrogen and to develop new industrial ecosystems, he noted, recalling that in line with the High Royal Guidelines, the government launched the Morocco Green Hydrogen Initiative in March 2024, aiming to cover the entire green hydrogen value chain.
The goal is to transform this energy potential into industrial projects to generate tens of thousands of jobs across the country through affordable, decarbonized energy and opportunities in sectors such as steel, metallurgy, cement, glass, and refining, he added.
For her part, the Deputy Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Ko Barrett, indicated that Africa must be at the center of the global effort to equip every citizen with early warning systems by 2027, noting that currently, only 23 African countries have complete systems in place.
She added that digital transformation represents a major opportunity, citing the Open Source ClimWeb platform, already used by nearly 70% of African countries, stressing the need to accelerate investments and cooperation to bridge gaps in weather detection and forecasting on the continent.
For her, no country can achieve climate resilience alone. “This requires regional cooperation, resource mobilization, and engagement from the private sector for a joint response to climate change,” she asserted.
The first edition of the ClimAfrica 2025 Forum was launched on Tuesday in Skhirat under the theme “From Risk to Resilience: Meteorology and Innovation for Early Warning Systems in Africa.”
Embodying values of action and innovation, this two-day event initiated by the Ministry of Equipment and Water, in partnership with several regional and international stakeholders, comes ahead of COP30, with the aim of making this meeting a continental turning point in the fight against climate change and the deployment of early warning systems suited to African realities.
MAP