AUC Director SEBE Remarks at STC Consultative Meeting on El Niño

It is both a privilege and an honour to welcome you all to this Extraordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment, (Senior Government Officials Meeting) convened to deliberate on one of the most pressing challenges confronting our continent today-the anticipated 2026 El Niño event and its implications for Africa's sustainable development, resilience and climate risk management.

Allow me, on behalf of the H.E Moses Vilakati, the AUC Commissioner of Agriculture, Rural development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, to express our sincere appreciation for your presence and continued commitment to advancing Africa's climate resilience agenda. Your participation demonstrates our collective recognition that climate risks demand coordinated continental responses, informed by science, strengthened by partnerships, and driven by political commitment.

This meeting comes at a critical moment. Global climate forecasting centres indicate a high probability that a strong El Niño episode will develop later this year, with peak intensity expected between November 2026 and January 2027. Experience has consistently shown that El Niño affects every region of Africa differently. While some regions face severe droughts and prolonged dry spells, others experience devastating floods, landslides and outbreaks of climate-sensitive diseases. These climate extremes have profound consequences for agriculture, food security, water resources, energy production, public health, education, infrastructure and ultimately the livelihoods of millions of Africans.

The painful lessons of the 2023/2024 El Niño remain vivid in our collective memory. Southern Africa witnessed one of its worst droughts in decades, forcing six countries to declare national states of disaster as crops failed across major grain-producing zones, hydropower production declined to record lows, food prices escalated, and over 60 million people required humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, Eastern Africa experienced unprecedented flooding that displaced over 480,000 people, destroyed critical infrastructure, and claimed more than 500 lives. These events were not isolated natural disasters; they were stark reminders of how climate variability, compounded by climate change, threatens decades of socio-economic progress across our continent.

The question before us, therefore, is no longer whether another El Niño will occur. The scientific evidence suggests that it will. Rather, the question is whether Africa will be sufficiently prepared to anticipate, mitigate and respond effectively to its impacts.

Fortunately, Africa has made considerable progress over the past decade. Through the leadership of our Member States, Regional Economic Communities, Regional Climate Centres, the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, and programmes such as ClimSA, we have strengthened climate observation systems, seasonal forecasting capacities, climate services and early warning mechanisms. These investments have significantly improved our ability to generate reliable climate information and provide timely advisories to governments and communities.

Climate information only becomes valuable when it informs decisions, shapes public policy and reaches farmers preparing for the planting season, pastoralists moving their livestock, disaster management authorities activating contingency plans, health workers preparing for disease outbreaks, and communities making daily decisions to safeguard their families. This is precisely why today's meeting is so important.

As Senior Government Officials, you occupy the critical interface between science and policy. Your technical expertise will shape the recommendations that Ministers will consider later today. The quality of your deliberations will therefore influence the collective decisions that Africa adopts to protect lives, livelihoods and development gains.

Beyond preparedness for El Niño, our discussions take place within a broader strategic context. Only a few weeks ago, the international community concluded the Sixty-Fourth Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) in Bonn. While those deliberations laid important groundwork for the Just Transition Mechanism and early warning systems, they also highlighted the persistent gridlock surrounding adaptation finance and the full operationalization of the Global Goal on Adaptation. These challenges reinforce Africa's determination to speak with one unified voice-demanding predictable finance, robust indicators, and scalable resilience as we prepare for COP31 and continue our journey towards a successful African-hosted COP32 in 2027.

This Extraordinary Session therefore provides us with a unique opportunity to bridge global climate diplomacy with practical action on the ground. It enables us to align continental priorities with national implementation while advancing the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and the African Union Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan.

Our deliberations today extend beyond El Niño preparedness. We shall also consider Africa's participation in COP31, preparations towards COP32, progress towards the International Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, implementation of the African Union Theme of the Year on Water and Sanitation, and strategies for strengthening coordination, resource mobilization and institutional collaboration. These discussions are interconnected because resilience cannot be built through fragmented approaches.

Climate change is testing our institutions, our economies and our collective resolve. But it is also presenting Africa with an opportunity to demonstrate leadership through innovation, solidarity and cooperation.

The African Union Commission firmly believes that resilience is not merely about responding to disasters. It is about building stronger institutions, empowering communities, investing in science and technology, protecting ecosystems, strengthening early warning systems and ensuring that no African is left behind.

Over the course of today's meeting, I encourage each delegation to engage openly and constructively. Let us share experiences from our respective countries and regions, identify practical solutions, and build consensus around recommendations that are ambitious, realistic and implementable.