Call for Inclusive Disaster Warnings as Extreme Climate Risks Threaten Africa

Call for Inclusive Disaster Warnings as Extreme Climate Risks Threaten Africa

Sierra Leone has renewed its call for inclusive, last-mile early warning systems across Africa to protect vulnerable populations from climate shocks and recurring natural hazards.

Speaking at the Africa Early Warnings Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mrs. Erica Konneh, Gender Empowerment and Social Inclusion Coordinator for Sierra Leone’s National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), emphasized that disaster warnings must reach all citizens, regardless of geography, gender, or disability status.

“An early warning is only effective when it reaches the people who need it, in a form they can understand and through channels they trust,” Konneh told representatives, disaster-risk experts, and development partners during her keynote address. “We cannot truly speak of Early Warnings for All if some members of our communities are still being left behind because of disability, gender, geography, language or limited access to technology.”

Hosted by the African Union and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the three-day forum brought together over 400 officials to review progress under the continent-wide Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative.

Despite significant growth in warning systems across the continent, extreme weather continues to devastate communities. Officials at the forum warned that incoming El Niño patterns could cause severe weather anomalies through 2027, making last-mile communication critical.

The gathering concluded with the signing of the Addis Ababa Call to Action on Early Warnings in Africa, outlining priority areas to eliminate operational gaps by 2027.

• Sustainable Financing & National Ownership: Securing long-term institutional funding rather than relying on short-term assistance.

• Technology & AI: Leveraging artificial intelligence and modern telecom infrastructure to accelerate emergency alerts.

• Inclusion & Early Action: Ensuring marginalized groups—including women, children, older adults, and remote rural populations—have the resources to evacuate before hazards escalate.

Konneh’s address builds on recent internal reforms within Sierra Leone's NDMA. Following a series of national workshops launched in early 2026, the agency has worked to embed gender sensitive operational standards directly into regional disaster management offices nationwide.

“Our focus must go beyond generating warnings,” Konneh stated. “We must ensure that people receive them, understand them, trust them, and have the capacity to act before a hazard becomes a disaster.”