The Directors’ Conference is the core of AFRIMET Cooperation Programme decision-making.
The Programme has a Secretariat, which consists of the manager of the WMO Regional Office for Africa, and the Programme Coordinator, assigned by the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
The programme is organised into Projects. Each one has a WMO technical Focal Point and an AEMET coordinator Focal Point, which manages the project, maintaining close contact with the local Focal Points in each of the project’s participating countries. The Projects are separated into different Actions.
The Programme is to be managed performing the following steps:
1. Directors’ Conference Meeting. Analysing countries’ needs and decision-making. Approving the Declaration and Action Plan.
2. The Programme Secretariat and the Focal Points Project Managers will consolidate the Plan and financial budget.
3. The Secretariat will approve the Actions. The technical, coordinatior and local Focal Points and the Secretariat will develop the technical and administrative activities.
4. The local Focal Points will produce reports for the Project managers.
5. The project managers will produce reports for the WMO Regional Office for Africa and the AFRIMET coordinator at AEMET.
6. The AFRIMET Coordinator will produce a report for the Directors’ Conference.
The Conference’s main objective is for all of the countries to work together, therefore making it easier to detect problems and adopt decisions.
The AFRIMET cooperation programme is based upon solid foundations for creating NMHSs with regards the measures to be established in the annual “Action Plans”, which evaluate the actions and set dates. The cooperation model among the West African NMHSs is trying to find synergies that are to be the result of implementing a regional approach.
The projects are firstly carried out in pilot countries, and will then be taken on to other countries that wish to join at later stages, once success is assured.
The Conference is financed by the AEMET trustee fund retained in the WMO, which is a seed fund, designed for creating ability. Additional funds would be needed for pilot projects to become operational services. Therefore, actions designed at mobilising resources should be considered. The Conference will accept any type of financial support from financial agencies.
