Meteorology Training for 15 African Countries with the Collaboration between TİKA and Singapore

With the collaboration between the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP), meteorology experts from 15 African countries will receive a 5-day Aviation and Satellite Meteorology training.

At this program, which began in the Ankara Regional Directorate of the General Directorate of Meteorology, the participants will receive trainings on quality management, use of satellite systems, integration of aviation and meteorology. Carried out by Turkish and Singaporean experts, the 5-day training program will be attended by 15 meteorology experts from Benin, Central African Republic, the Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Senegal. Giving a speech at the opening ceremony, A. Selverajah, the Ambassador of Singapore in Ankara, stated that they are glad to work in cooperation with TİKA, saying "Turkey and Singapore are strategic partners; not only in economical matters but also in helping developing countries."

Expressing the need to work in collaboration regarding the climate issues, Selverajah stated that the last year was recorded as the warmest year in the history of Singapore. Selverajah said "The United Nations also claims that global climate change is one of the most important issues we need to tackle. The whole world needs to work together in this issue. The global climate change problem cannot be solved by one country alone." Indicating that TİKA is known for its wide network of support and organization, Selverajah said "This is not our first project together. We also provided trainings for African countries on food safety and clean water usage." Addressing Turkey’s aid especially in African countries, Selverajah continued: "Turkey shows a lot of effort regarding humanitarian aid. The fact that Turkey hosts 2.7 million Syrian and 300,000 Iraqi refugees indicates their generosity. As Singapore, we admire the responsibility Turkey takes as well as their affectionate approach."

"We have to collaborate since we can’t require visas from clouds"

İsmail Güneş, the Director General of Meteorology, stated that unlike other topics, meteorology requires global collaboration. Güneş said "Since we can’t require visas from rain and clouds, we have to collaborate globally." Expressing that aviation and meteorology services need to continue in cooperation, Güneş continued: "Each year, we carry out meetings with airline companies, pilots and the managers of the 73 airports in Turkey, because the services we provide should meet the expectations of a pilot. Therefore, the people who work in this field should be experienced and knowledgeable. There are international criteria for the people who work in this field. Therefore, we show full support for our training here and we wish the employees in this industry reach a certain level."

Dr. Mehmet Yılmaz, the Head of Foreign Affairs and Partnerships Department at TİKA, provided information regarding TİKA, Turkey’s history of development collaborations, and TİKA’s aid activities in Africa. He stated that the South-South and Triangle Cooperation is an effective tool regarding sharing the best practices with the stakeholder countries in order to solve the global development problems. Reminding the previous collaborative projects with the SCP, Yılmaz said that the Aviation and Satellite Meteorology training sets an important example in terms of cooperation. 

 "We will share our experience"

Lecturing on the quality management systems in education, Singaporean meteorology expert Chow Kwok Wah stated that one of the purposes of the training was to share Singapore’s experience in tropical climate with African countries with the same climate. Attending the program from Benin, Boris Polynice Anato expressed that they came to receive training on gathering meteorological data by using satellite systems, saying "We already use these technologies in my country, but I came here to specialize". Jamila Rhilmane, who came from Morocco for training, said "Using the satellite technologies, we aim to take the necessary measures by predicting risks such as meteors, solar flares and falling satellites. During this training, we will gather information regarding the use of satellites."