A significant milestone was reached today in Nairobi, Kenya: the installation of the first PUMA-2025 receiving station, specifically designed to collect data from Meteosat’s next generation geostationary satellites. This new infrastructure will provide Kenyan meteorologists with the most accurate and timely data from Meteosat’s third generation (MTG) satellites and play a critical role in supporting the sustainable development of local communities and safeguarding lives and livelihoods.
Cooperation between EUMETSAT and the African Union
This installation is part of a larger initiative by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) in cooperation with the African Union Commission. In the coming months, similar stations will be installed in several national weather and climate services across Africa. The aim of this initiative is to provide African meteorologists and scientists with state-of-the-art technology to receive and use MTG data, thereby improving their ability to monitor and respond to weather patterns.
Phil Evans, Director General of EUMETSAT, stressed the importance of this development: “The African Union and EUMETSAT signed an agreement in 2022 to ensure that the right infrastructure is implemented to make data from MTG available to African users. The milestone we have just reached ensures continuity of satellite data reception across the continent, enabling more efficient early warnings for all, more accurate forecasts of extreme weather events and better protection for all.”
Improving Africa’s meteorological capacity
EUMETSAT’s Meteosat satellites are the only Earth observation satellites with a permanent view of Africa. With the launch of the MTG satellites, African meteorologists will benefit from higher resolution images and more frequent data updates (every 10 minutes), allowing better monitoring of weather conditions and more accurate forecasts. The installation in Nairobi therefore marks the beginning of a new era for African weather services, building on almost two decades of progress. In addition, the first PUMA station, installed in February 2004, was designed to receive data from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellites as part of the Preparation for Use of Meteosat in Africa (PUMA) project. Supported by various EU-funded programmes such as PUMA, AMESD and MESA, this infrastructure has enabled African weather and climate services to efficiently receive and use Meteosat data to forecast and monitor extreme weather events.
Future installations and extensions
The upgrade of the PUMA-2025 stations will be accompanied by comprehensive training programmes to ensure that meteorologists can make the most of the benefits of the new technology and effectively carry out on-site maintenance. The next installation is planned in Cotonou, Benin, which will also host the 16th EUMETSAT Africa Users Forum. In addition, this event will provide a valuable opportunity for African meteorologists to exchange knowledge, share best practices and discuss ways to improve early warning systems using the latest Meteosat data.
Furthermore, the deployment of PUMA-2025 stations across Africa represents a significant advance in the continent’s ability to monitor weather patterns, predict extreme weather events and protect its populations. By ensuring that African meteorologists have access to the latest satellite data and technologies, EUMETSAT and the African Union are paving the way for a safer and more resilient future for communities across the continent.
