Seychelles Meteorological Authority unveils strategic plan 

Hoareau said the disasters in December 2023 and March this year are just a few of the latest examples of how catastrophic weather extremes can be. (Seychelles Nation)

The Seychelles Meteorological Authority (SMA) has revealed its new strategic plan in which key performance indicators can now be monitored in a half day workshop on Friday.

The event was organised to coincide with World Meteorological Day, which is celebrated on March 23.

Keeping with the chosen theme for this year's World Meteorological Day, "On the front lines of Climate Action," officials from SMA and other ministries attended the half-day event held at the Eden Bleu Hotel.

The chief executive of the SMA, Vincent Ameile, presented the updated strategic plan that details the way forward for the authority to recover public and private forecast costs. It also provides a localisation plan to replace expatriate workers and set ways to carry out their duties and mandates among others.

When presenting the plan, Amelie also revealed that it had taken SMA a year to update it and has met "stakeholders and SMA staff to have their aspirations included in the document."

In his address at the closing ceremony, the Minister for Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, Flavien Joubert, said that with this new plan, "policymakers may now make informed decisions based on scientific facts in matters of national importance."

On his side, the  chairperson of the SMA board, Gerard Hoareau, said: "The recent series of disasters caused by the torrential rain of 6 December 2023 and 1 March this year are just a few of the latest examples of how catastrophic weather extremes can be."

Hoareau said SMA has done a lot already to deliver on its mandate.

The authority has a strategic plan in place with measurable performance indicators to monitor progress, as well as an ISO certification since 2023, and "is moving towards commercialisation and work has been completed on cost recovery for the provision of aeronautical meteorological services as well those for non-aviation weather services or public weather services," said Hoareau.

He added that "SMA and its partners will continue to drive the full value cycle, from science to services to action for the good of society."

Meanwhile, newly recruited forecasters who have followed a training session at SMA also received their validation certificates, which Amelie said has "familiarised them with working with the Seychelles conditions and granting them with the skills to work on their shift on their own."