DARAJA: The inclusive city - community forecasting and early warning service

DARAJA, which means ‘bridge’ in Swahili, is a service and partnership that aims to improve weather and climate information services (WCIS), including early warnings of extreme weather for urban users. By adopting a systems-wide approach, DARAJA builds ‘bridges’ and operational partnerships between the actors critical to the co-design of the products, dissemination channels and feedback loops for weather forecasts and extreme weather alerts. The DARAJA service has been piloted already in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam with strong impact results. These included a 20:1 benefit cost ratio (BCR) in enhanced productivity and avoided climate related damage and loss to users. The service is also being adapted for deployment into Small Island States (SIDS) via a demonstrator for the Caribbean based in Kingston, Jamaica (IDB).