SMA’s Achievements Showcased at WMO: Advancing Meteorological Services through Partnerships and Cooperation
Mr Vincent Amelie, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Seychelles Meteorological Authority (SMA) and Permanent Representative of Seychelles with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), has undertaken a working visit to WMO aimed at reviewing progress under key initiatives, addressing outstanding technical and institutional needs, and strengthening cooperation for the continued development of Seychelles’ meteorological and early warning services.
The mission provided an opportunity for SMA and WMO to take stock of achievements under ongoing programmes, identify implementation areas and discuss practical actions to ensure that future technical assistance and capacity development are sustainable, responsive to national priorities and capable of delivering long-term benefits.
Sharing Seychelles’ experience
During the visit, CEO Amelie was a keynote speaker at the Lunchtime Learning Session on “Scaling Impact through Member-to-Member Cooperation”, held on 17 September 2026. His presentation, SMA’s Achievements under Various Projects, highlighted the Authority’s experience in translating support from projects and partnerships into institutional and operational improvements.
CEO Amelie participated in the session alongside the Director of the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) and Permanent Representative of Tanzania with WMO, providing an opportunity to share perspectives from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) on how cooperation between Members can complement traditional approaches to technical assistance.
In his presentation, CEO Amelie showcased progress made by SMA across a range of initiatives and projects and highlighted the importance of partnerships in strengthening national capacity. Particular emphasis was placed on ensuring that cooperation contributes not only to the delivery of equipment and short-term project outputs, but also to the development of lasting institutional, technical and human capacity.
The presentation underscored the importance of better coordination of international initiatives and projects, stronger national ownership and decision-making support, enhanced strategic leadership and management capacity within NMHSs, and the establishment of stronger Member-to-Member partnerships.
Advancing Member-to-Member Cooperation through SMA Expertise
The visit also highlighted how SMA is consolidating its role as a Centre of Excellence, with the institutional and technical capacity not only to strengthen meteorological and early warning services in Seychelles, but also to support other National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the region and beyond.
This role is already being demonstrated through the deployment of SMA staff to support fellow NMHSs, enabling Seychelles to share practical expertise, strengthen peer-to-peer cooperation and contribute directly to capacity development across the meteorological community. These deployments reflect the growing recognition of SMA’s technical capabilities and the value of experience-sharing between operational services.
SMA is continuing to strengthen its capacity as a source of technical expertise, knowledge exchange and practical support in areas such as forecasting, early warning systems, climate services, observation networks and institutional development. This approach supports a more sustainable model of capacity development, where NMHSs increasingly learn from and support one another, complementing external technical assistance with expertise drawn directly from operational meteorological services.
Through continued investment in its people, systems and partnerships, SMA is expanding its contribution beyond Seychelles and strengthening its ability to support NMHSs across the region and beyond, reinforcing the principle of Member-to-Member cooperation highlighted during the WMO Lunchtime Learning Session.