The Meteorological Transition in Africa Project - PUMA

The Meteosat Second Generation ( ) of satellites was the catalyst for the Preparation for Use of MSG in Africa (PUMA) project, an international collaborative venture which provides the continent’s National Meteorological and Hydrological Services with operational access to state-of-the-art satellite technology.

PUMA has created a pan-African network of 53 countries and five regional centres and equipped them with the infrastructure, training and support required for receiving the latest space-based meteorological and environmental data, images and products from EUMETSAT via the distribution system.

PUMA has provided each county with the means to develop their own applications with the potential to enhance quality of life through, for example, better water and agricultural management. The initiative is enabling them to provide accurate weather forecasts, monitor extreme weather events, improve disaster management and forestall drought, starvation and other life-threatening events, saving lives and property.

PUMA also established six successful pilot projects to foster the use of Earth observation data for non-meteorological purposes – monitoring coastal fish stocks off Kenya and Senegal, for example, and providing South Africa’s power grid industry with an early warning system for land fires, which are major causes of power outages and service disruptions.

The project spanned 2001-2005 and received funding of about 11.4 million euro from the European Commission through the European Development Fund.

A trust fund set up under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization ( ) enabled South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia to participate in the project, giving the project its continental dimension. Through bilateral cooperation, a number of European countries, including the UK, Belgium and France, have also contributed to the project.

EUMETSAT supported PUMA’s Secretariat of the Steering Committee as well as the Secretariat of the PUMA Task Team which provided support and guidance to PUMA’s partners.