CHINEDU OKAFOR
Monday April 29, 2024

Tanzania intends to put its weight behind Somalia, the East African Community’s newest member. Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has committed to help Somalia boost bilateral trade. This is part of the president’s continuous drive to improve Tanzania’s connection with the rest of East Africa.

A report by the Tanzanian newspaper, The Citizen shows that President Samia Hassan promised to assist its fellow East African state, Somalia in areas such as defense and security.

She made the announcement during a press briefing at the State House in Dar es Salaam, on the 27th of April, after she met with the president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who is on a visit to Tanzania.

“We have expressed our readiness as a country to provide training in various fields, whether in defense and security or other areas of government service,” President Hassan said.

“We have assured them of our support in building their capacity as a country to defend themselves,” she added, commending the president of Somalia for his efforts in advancing his nation’s priorities and peacefully overseeing its agendas.

This marks the first time the Somali president has stepped foot in Tanzania since assuming office. While there he attended the country’s 60th Union anniversary between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

The president of Tanzania also mentioned that both countries after the meeting have found new avenues for cooperation despite their already long-standing sturdy relationship.

“We have seen the importance of having a formal system to enhance this relationship; we intend to strengthen cooperation meetings between Somalia and Tanzania, and through our sectorial meetings we will identify areas and projects of cooperation that are beneficial to both of us,” President Hassan said.

Contention between Somalia and Ethiopia

Friction between Ethiopia and Somalia over Somaliland has been brewing for some time now, with conflict being avoided at every turn. At the beginning of the year, the landlocked country of Ethiopia touted its new plan to gain direct access to the sea.

The plan entailed signing a deal with Somaliland, a region Somalia considers a breakaway state. In response Somalia officially declared the sea access partnership between Somaliland and Ethiopia unlawful.

The president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud passed a bill that “nullifies” the port deal, with Somalia even going as far as saying it would stop at nothing to protect its territorial integrity. Somalia considers Somaliland a part of its territory, while Somaliland considers itself a sovereign state.

Monday 29, April 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya: The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) took a significant stride towards bolstering disaster preparedness and response capabilities. Today, the Center announced the reception of support from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for the implementation of a pioneering project titled “Strengthening Early Warning Systems for Anticipatory Actions.” This initiative, aimed at leveraging machine learning to enhance early warning information systems, marks a collaborative effort involving leading weather and climate research institutions, a university, and a humanitarian organization.

The funding provided by WFP will also benefit the Kenya Meteorological Department and Ethiopian Meteorological Institute, aiding in the enhancement of their national and sub-national forecasts. By transforming the quality of early warning information available to communities in disaster-prone regions, the project endeavors to facilitate proactive responses to critical alerts.

Given the exacerbation of natural hazard-induced disasters by climate change, the importance of timely and accurate early warning systems cannot be overstated. Supported by Google.org, this project endeavors to address this pressing need by harnessing cutting-edge technology and innovative approaches. Through the utilization of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics, the project aims to enhance the accuracy and timeliness of disaster alerts, empowering communities to take proactive measures to safeguard lives and livelihoods.

Dr. Guleid Artan, Director at the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, highlighting the combination of expertise in weather forecasting, disaster risk reduction, and technological capabilities. He said, “With the involvement of partners such as Google, the University of Oxford, the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute, the Kenya Meteorological Department, and the World Food Programme, the project aspires to revolutionize early warning systems in the IGAD region and enable communities to prepare and act preemptively against impending hazards”.

Initially, the project will focus on pilot implementations in Ethiopia and Kenya, with the lessons learned informing the scaling-up of initiatives across the region. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that vulnerable communities throughout the IGAD region have access to life-saving early warning information and that they can take timely action in the face of impending disasters.