The Head of the Central Analysis and Forecasting Office (CAFO) at the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), Felicity Ahafianyo, has appealed to journalists to play a more proactive role in disseminating weather warnings promptly to help safeguard lives and property.
Speaking at a Climate Reporting Workshop organized by Climate Watch Africa in collaboration with Quali-Breeze Ghana on Thursday, October 16, 2025, Ahafianyo underscored the critical role of the media in bridging the communication gap between meteorologists and the public.
“We generate the weather warning and share it but the media don’t pick it up early. We wait until the time passes before it becomes a news item and that is where the problem lies for us,” she lamented.
She explained that GMet’s forecasting process goes beyond reading model charts. The Agency integrates local meteorological data into advanced weather models such as the West African Forecast (WAF) system to predict wind fields, pressure and temperature patterns across the country.
She emphasised that human expertise remains central to accurate forecasting, combining historical weather knowledge with real-time data analysis.
“You, the forecaster, must understand local weather history. If for 17 years there’s been no rain on a particular date, you need to crosscheck models before concluding. That is how we ensure accuracy before issuing forecasts,” she noted.
The meteorologist further outlined how GMet uses colour codes to communicate the severity of weather events. Green indicates low impact, yellow and orange suggest moderate to severe impacts and red signals high-risk events. These warnings, she said, are now issued three times daily and are accessible through the My World Weather App for real-time updates.
Ahafianyo admitted that while GMet has enhanced its forecasting tools and communication systems, the biggest challenge remains timely public dissemination.
“We check the intensity whether it is going to be moderate or severe and try to detect it early. But without timely media reporting, the public may not respond quickly enough,” she stressed.
She therefore called for stronger collaboration between the Agency and media houses to ensure that weather alerts are not only shared early but also contextualized for various regions and communities.
The workshop, themed “Reporting for a Cleaner & Green Ghana”, brought together journalists, climate experts, government representative and regulators to build capacity in interpreting and communicating climate and environmental data.
Participants were trained in understanding the science behind climate change, identifying its local impacts and adopting effective communication strategies for advocacy and public awareness.
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