The idea of improving weather information management in East Africa was born in 2008, following a disappointing farming season. I, like many Ugandans, had grown accustomed to the traditional rainfall patterns which were adhered to by our forefathers. During that season, I planned to grow maize since it was the maize season. Unfortunately for me, nature took its toll and the rains delayed. What I had planted suffered lack of water and the harvest was terrible!

Having been previously exposed to accurate weather predictions during my stay in Europe, I began to wonder why such vital information was not readily available in Uganda. It was through this investigation that WIMEA-ICT was born.

WIMEA-ICT is a five-year project (2013-2018) funded by Norad under the NORHED programme. During the last one and a half years, several activities have been undertaken: l Relevant curricula has been improved or developed at Makerere University, Dar-Es-Salaam Institute of Technology and at the University of Juba. lEight PhD candidates have been contracted for support from among the partnering institutions.

l National surveys on the Status of Available Weather Records have been undertaken in Uganda and Tanzania. l National surveys on the Status of Weather Station Networks have been undertaken in Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan.

Also, a national survey on the status of Weather Information Dissemination has been done in Uganda. Join me in this issue, as we focus on the experiences and expectations of the curriculum development in Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan. Until next time, let us continue building the capacity of weather information management in East Africa using suitable ICTs.