Freetown, Thursday, 28 May 2026 – The Deputy Director General of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Sulaiman B. Sowa, represented Sierra Leone at the Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning System and Early Action (AMHEWAS) Technical Working Group meeting held in Mozambique from May 25 to 27, 2026.
The high-level continental meeting, organized by the African Union Commission (AUC), brought together disaster risk reduction experts, meteorological agencies, humanitarian actors, and policymakers from across Africa to strengthen coordinated multi-hazard early warning systems and improve anticipatory disaster response mechanisms on the continent.
AMHEWAS is a flagship African Union initiative established to facilitate interoperable and people-centered multi-hazard early warning systems across all 55 African Union Member States. The programme aligns closely with the United Nations’ global “Early Warnings for All” initiative aimed at ensuring every person on earth is protected by life-saving early warning systems by 2027.
During the Technical Working Group session, DDG Sowa presented on Sierra Leone’s national progress on early warning systems, including ongoing efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness, risk monitoring and community-based response mechanisms.
His presentation also highlighted Sierra Leone’s vulnerability profile as a climate-sensitive nation increasingly exposed to flooding, landslides, coastal erosion, urban fires, and extreme weather events. The country, through the NDMA continues to invest in improving risk communication and institutional coordination following lessons learned from previous disasters, including the devastating 2017 mudslide tragedy.
DDG Sowa also emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in disaster preparedness. “Disasters do not respect borders, and therefore Africa’s response systems must be interconnected, proactive, and people-centered. Sierra Leone’s participation in the AMHEWAS Technical Working Group demonstrates our commitment to building stronger and smarter early warning systems capable of protecting lives and livelihoods,” he said.
The NDMA Deputy Director General was also selected as one of the panelists for a strategic discussion on “Early Warning Systems in Urban Settings,” where experts examined the growing risks associated with rapid urbanization, informal settlements, population density, and climate-related hazards in African cities.
The panel discussion explored innovative approaches to urban resilience, including the use of digital technologies, community engagement, real-time hazard monitoring, and integrated emergency communication systems.
“This platform offers Sierra Leone a unique opportunity to learn from best practices across the continent, especially in strengthening urban early warning systems, improving coordination among institutions, and expanding last-mile communication to vulnerable communities,” he stated.
Delegates were taken on technical visits to operational situation rooms in Mozambique to gain firsthand experience in how real-time hazard monitoring, forecasting, emergency coordination, and anticipatory action systems are managed.
The AMHEWAS programme has already supported the establishment of continental and regional situation rooms in Addis Ababa, Abuja, Douala, Nacala, and other strategic locations to enhance disaster preparedness and response coordination across Africa.
The representation is expected to significantly strengthen NDMA’s technical capacity, improve interoperability with regional systems, and enhance access to emerging early warning technologies.
The Technical Working Group meeting concluded with strategic recommendations aimed at implementing effective multi-hazard early warning and early action systems throughout Africa.
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Email: mohamedIbah@ndma.gov.sl
