Key to disaster preparedness in Africa

Partnership, solidarity, and data sovereignty are key to disaster preparedness in Africa: Ethiopian Commissioner

Cooperation must be strengthened to safeguard sovereignty in disaster preparedness and reduce the continent's vulnerability to natural and man-made disasters, said Shiferaw Teklemariam, Ethiopia's Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness. Sovereignty in disaster preparedness is so important because it ensures that a state can independently decide on protective measures, coordinate resources, and provide aid according to its own priorities. This is the only way to adequately consider legal frameworks, cultural contexts, and local risks. Furthermore, sovereignty enables rapid, unbureaucratic decision-making without dependence on external actors. Especially in cross-border disasters, state sovereignty remains crucial for directing aid, upholding sovereign rights, and building long-term resilience—always in conjunction with international cooperation. A key aspect of disaster preparedness is the reduction of man-made (anthropogenic) disasters. These include, for example, industrial accidents, oil spills, forest fires caused by negligence, and nuclear incidents. This highlights the importance of national sovereignty, because only a sovereign state can: - Issue binding safety standards (e.g., for chemical plants, dams, or the transport of hazardous materials) and independently monitor compliance. - Establish emergency plans for industrial areas without having to wait for external approvals. - Strengthen environmental and occupational safety laws to prevent risks such as illegal waste disposal or unsafe working conditions. - Conduct independent investigations after an accident to determine the causes and prevent recurrence. Without these sovereign powers, external actors (e.g., operators of multinational facilities) could undermine the country's security interests. At the same time, experience shows that many severe man-made disasters (such as Bhopal or Fukushima) are also due to inadequate state control – underscoring the need for strong, effective sovereignty in disaster preparedness. Ethiopia is building reliable capacity for humanitarian aid from its own resources by increasing its strategic reserves, he explained, thus confirming the 2023–2024 Africa Biennial Report on Disaster Preparedness. He emphasized the growing awareness of the need to move away from a culture of dependency and strengthen the productivity of families and communities.