While public sector interest in climate information services (CIS) is concerned with resilience in the face of climate variability and change, the private sector is beginning to recognize that there is a growing market for climate services. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are helping to bridge gaps in public services around the globe.
While they take many forms, PPPs are formal collaborations between private sector, government and/or non-profit entities whose purpose is to achieve a mutually beneficial common goal. The need for reliable and accessible climate and weather information to support resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa is an expanding area of mutual interest. National meteorological and hydrological services (NMHSs) have historically filled this role, but there is growing recognition that private service providers could offer the innovation, technology and capital necessary to fill key gaps in CIS across Africa.
Recognizing the role PPPs could play in advancing CIS in Sub-Saharan Africa, the USAID-funded, Assessing Sustainability and Effectiveness of Climate Information Services in Africa (Sustainable CIS) project is identifying and piloting effective models for establishing robust PPPs in this sector.
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