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ECMWF has opened a new Call for Proposals under the Strengthening Early Warning in Africa (SEWA) action to support the development of impact-based forecasting services across sub-Saharan Africa, helping communities and decision-makers better prepare for hazardous weather and climate-related events.
The grants represent the next phase of the SEWA programme, building on the recently completed scoping study, which identified opportunities to strengthen early warning systems across sub-Saharan Africa through improved collaboration, data access and impact-based forecasting.
The call will support the development of four regional pilot projects for impact-based forecast tools and services in West, Central, East, and Southern Africa, including the Indian Ocean Islands.
The pilots will help strengthen early warning systems by combining weather and hazard forecasts with exposure, vulnerability and impact information, enabling users to better anticipate the potential consequences of hazardous weather and climate-related events.
Data produced in Europe will underpin the projects, showcasing how datasets from ECMWF, the EU’s Copernicus programme, and ECMWF Member States can support early warning services in Africa.
The pilots will also have access to the European Weather Cloud, which is hosted within ECMWF’s Common Cloud Infrastructure, as Valters Zeizis, Data and Cloud Support Specialist at ECMWF, explains:
“Within SEWA, we will be using ECMWF's side of the European Weather Cloud, a community cloud hosted at ECMWF’s data centre in Bologna. This will allow the pilot projects to develop the tools and services required to strengthen early warning close to large volumes of weather and hazard data, improving accessibility and reliability.”
The pilots will focus on priority hazards identified for each region, including floods, flash floods, drought and dry spells, heatwaves, dust storms, thunderstorms and tropical cyclones.
Karolin Eichler, SEWA Partnership Management and Training Specialist at ECMWF, said: "These grants are an opportunity to co-develop impact-based forecasting services that respond to regional priorities, with the aim of strengthening preparedness for weather- and climate-related hazards and supporting more effective early warning systems."
With a total indicative budget of EUR 5 million, the call will support four projects of up to EUR 1.25 million each. The projects, expected to run for 24 months, will be delivered by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Regional Climate Centres in sub-Saharan Africa in partnership with consortia of African and European organisations, fostering regional collaboration and knowledge exchange.
The pilot projects will be co-designed with national meteorological and hydrological services and other stakeholders to ensure that the resulting tools and services address regional priorities and user needs.
The call aims to support sustainable, African-owned solutions that build on existing initiatives, strengthen African–European peer-to-peer partnerships, and help pave the way for the future operationalisation and scaling of impact-based forecasting across the continent.
Katie Egan, SEWA Scientific Officer in the Forecasts and Services Department at ECMWF, said: “Impact-based forecasting helps move beyond predicting what the weather will be towards understanding what it could mean for people, infrastructure and livelihoods. These regional pilots will explore how hazard information, exposure data and knowledge of local impacts can be combined to support more targeted and actionable early warnings.”
Successful projects will also contribute to improved knowledge exchange, user documentation, evaluation methods, outreach, and alignment with continental early warning efforts such as the African Union Commission’s Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning System and Early Action (AMHEWAS) Programme.
How to apply
Applicants are encouraged to register early on the submission portal and to consult the full call package, including eligibility requirements, application templates and guidance for applicants.
The deadline for applications is 30 September 2026 at 14:00 CEST.
Full details can be found on the SEWA grants web page.
Strengthening early warning through partnership
SEWA forms part of the Africa–EU Space Partnership Programme (AESPP), supported by the European Union under the Global Gateway strategy. The four-year initiative, which began in January 2025, is implemented by ECMWF, the African Union Commission and EUMETSAT.
Within SEWA, ECMWF works with African partners to co-develop impact-based forecasting demonstration services using ECMWF, Copernicus and other European datasets alongside regional expertise. The programme contributes to the broader objectives of the United Nations Early Warnings for All initiative, helping strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems across Africa.