As Africa opens Climate Summit, poor weather forecasting has continent underprepared

Qura Laana, a heardswoman walks her camels through Chalbi desert in North Horr, Marsabit county on January 20,2021. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Much of the world takes daily weather forecasts for granted. But most of Africa's 1.3 billion people live with little advance knowledge of what's to come. That can be both deadly and expensive, with damage running in the billions of dollars.

The first Africa Climate Summit opens Monday in Kenya to highlight the continent that will suffer the most from climate change while contributing to it the least. Significant investment in Africa's adaptation to climate change, including better forecasting, will be an urgent goal. At the heart of every issue on the agenda, from energy to agriculture, is the lack of data collection that drives decisions as crucial as when to plant - and when to flee.