From BusinessInsider. Story by Maina Waruru.

The World Bank is working with other development finance institutions to raise $500 million to modernize weather and flood forecasting services in Africa.

Daniel Kull, a disaster risk specialist with the World Bank, said it was talking to lenders, including the African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank, about mobilizing the funds to improve prediction, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

More accurate and timely warnings of extreme weather would help protect lives and assets from disasters, experts say.

“Hydro-meteorological services are badly strained in Africa, but we need to go beyond just providing equipment for forecasting and data processing – we also need to take care of training of personnel and maintenance of infrastructure,” Kull told a recent conference in Turkey.

…Eleven countries prone to drought and floods: Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

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