EUMETSAT Completes 56-Station Network as African Forecasters Put MTG Data into Operational Use
National meteorological services across Africa can now receive data from EUMETSAT’s Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellites directly and apply it in daily forecasting and early warnings.
EUMETSAT announced on 5 October 2026 that it has delivered on its commitment to the African meteorological community, with the full network of 56 PUMA-2025 reception stations now installed across the continent. The first station was installed two years ago, and the processing chain that converts MTG data into forecaster-ready products is now fully operational.
About 150 meteorologists, scientists and representatives from across Africa convened in Eswatini for the five-day 17th EUMETSAT User Forum in Africa, organised by EUMETSAT and the Eswatini Meteorological Service, to share their first operational experience with MTG data.
According to EUMETSAT, weather stations are sparse in many parts of Africa, which often makes satellites the most complete source of information available to forecasters. MTG provides a new image of Africa every 10 minutes, compared with every 15 minutes from the previous generation of Meteosat satellites, allowing forecasters to see fast-changing weather such as storm development sooner and in greater detail. MTG also delivers lightning observations, which EUMETSAT describes as critical for alerting communities to extreme weather and for warning where people or infrastructure may be at risk of severe storms and lightning strikes.
The forum opened as Africa prepares for a potentially very strong El Niño event, with floods, drought and far-reaching impacts on livelihoods expected across the continent. During the opening days, participants welcomed a joint declaration calling for reliable satellite observations, effective early-warning tools, and the infrastructure and expertise needed to turn data into information that protects lives and livelihoods.
“MTG is no longer a future promise for Africa. It is now in the hands of forecasters across the continent,” said Phil Evans, Director-General of EUMETSAT. “With the PUMA reception station network now fully deployed, every African national meteorological service can access this new generation of observations. This shows what sustained partnership between the African Union Commission, the European Union, EUMETSAT and African meteorological services can achieve.”
How the data reaches users
MTG data and products are distributed through EUMETSAT’s EUMETCast Africa service to the 56 reception stations, located at national meteorological services and regional centres across the continent. The stations were first deployed under the EU-funded ClimSA programme.
The Strengthening Early Warning in Africa (SEWA) project, a key component of the Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme (AESPP), is building on these investments to further develop African capacity to process satellite imagery and issue early warnings as appropriate. The European Union funds SEWA under its Global Gateway Strategy, and EUMETSAT, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and the African Union Commission jointly lead it, working with African regional climate centres and national meteorological and hydrological services.
Shaping future services
Discussions at the forum also covered early warnings for severe weather, climate services, hydrology, air quality, and the use of satellite data in agriculture and renewable energy.
EUMETSAT has worked with African meteorological and hydrological services for more than three decades on satellite data, products and training. The organisation says the forum’s outcomes will guide the next phase of that cooperation.