Ghana Meteorological Agency Proposes Authority Status Under New Legislation

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has proposed a new legislative framework that would transform the agency into the Ghana Meteorological Authority, granting it full regulatory oversight, licensing powers, and the exclusive right to issue severe weather warnings in the country.

The proposal was presented on Wednesday during a stakeholder engagement in Accra, where GMet sought inputs into the Ghana Meteorological Authority Bill, 2025, before finalising and submitting it for further legislative consideration.

From Agency to Authority

Dr Ignatius Kweku Williams, the Deputy Director-General of Operations at GMet, said the Bill sought to elevate the agency from its current status into an Authority with full regulatory oversight. The elevation would allow GMet to license and regulate meteorological operators, establish national standards, enforce compliance, protect the public from misleading weather information, and strengthen Ghana’s climate resilience and early warning systems.

One of the most significant proposals is that the Authority would become the single official source of national severe weather warnings and public safety alerts. No other institution would be permitted to issue such alerts outside the Authority’s regulatory framework.

A Licensing Regime for Weather Services

The Bill introduces a licensing system for organisations involved in meteorological activities. Institutions that would require licences include those engaged in weather forecasting, climate modelling, remote sensing, issuing public weather alerts, commercial redistribution of meteorological data, and the installation and maintenance of meteorological equipment.

Academic institutions conducting research, personal non-commercial users, and organisations using weather information solely for internal purposes would be exempted. Licences would be valid for one year and subject to renewal and ongoing compliance monitoring.

Funding the Authority

The Bill proposes expanding the National Meteorological Fund to provide sustainable financing for operations and infrastructure. Existing aviation-related revenue sources would remain, including portions of landing charges, overflight charges, and airport taxes.

New revenue streams are also proposed. The construction sector would contribute 1.5 percent of the pre-tax contract value of projects valued at GH¢500,000 or more, including roads, bridges, dams, and telecommunications infrastructure, along with 2.5 percent of consultancy fees on public construction contracts. In the maritime sector, the Bill proposes allocations including 10 percent of 50 percent of Ghana Maritime Authority annual service charges, 2 percent of port charges, 3 percent of pilotage charges, and 1 percent of terminal handling charges.

Additional revenue would come from licensing fees, the sale of specialised forecasts and meteorological data products, consultancy services, training programmes, and grants. Dr Williams argued that sustainable financing was necessary because modern meteorological services required substantial investment.

National Framework for Climate Services

The Bill proposes establishing a National Framework for Climate Services to coordinate climate-related activities across government, involving 11 ministries responsible for areas ranging from environment and agriculture to energy, transport, defence, and health.

Ms Vivian Abla Kally, Deputy Director-General for General Services at GMet, said the Bill represented a major institutional reform aimed at modernising Ghana’s meteorological services. If passed, it would enhance public safety through stronger early warning systems, improve climate governance, establish regulatory oversight of meteorological activities, promote adherence to international standards, and position meteorological information as a strategic national asset for development planning and climate resilience.

More than 21 stakeholders submitted comments on the draft, raising issues including the Authority’s dual mandate as both player and regulator, the proposed licensing framework, the composition of the governing board, and the need for clearer definitions of technical terms. Ms Kally said some recommendations had already been incorporated while others required further consultation.

Enforcement and Penalties

The Bill introduces clear sanctions for misconduct, including operating without a licence, issuing unverified forecasts, forging licences or supporting documents, unlawfully disclosing confidential meteorological information, and disobeying legally binding Meteorological Orders. Depending on the offence, sanctions may include fines of up to 10,000 penalty units, imprisonment of up to three years, and administrative penalties recoverable as civil debts.

The move towards stronger enforcement comes at a time when accurate weather information is increasingly critical to public safety. The National Road Safety Authority’s recent warning about road hazards during heavy rainfall underscored how gaps in weather-related public communication can have immediate, life-threatening consequences.

The stakeholder engagement brought together representatives from the Ghana Hydrological Authority, Minerals Commission, Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Energy Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Health Service, Water Resources Commission, and the National Disaster Management Organisation, among others.

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