Kenya Launches First Private Sector Climate Training Curriculum
Kenya has unveiled its first national training curriculum designed specifically for private sector professionals, equipping businesses to interpret and act on weather and climate information as extreme weather disruptions mount across the country.
The Training Curriculum on Weather and Climate Information Services for Private Sector Stakeholders was unveiled Tuesday by the Institute for Meteorological Training and Research (IMTR) and the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority (KMSA), with support from Mercy Corps AgriFin, the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), and the Technical and Vocational Training Authority (TVETA).
The initiative comes as Kenya grapples with increasingly erratic weather patterns, including prolonged droughts, destructive floods, pest outbreaks, and unpredictable planting seasons that continue to disrupt agriculture, energy production, insurance, and financial systems.
The curriculum targets professionals in five climate-sensitive sectors – agriculture, energy, finance, insurance, and ICT, which officials say are central to the generation, interpretation, and application of climate information.
Speaking at the launch, Bernard Chanzu, Director of the Meteorological Training and Research Directorate, framed the programme as a structural shift in how Kenya delivers climate services. “This curriculum demonstrates that strengthening climate services is not only about improving access to climate data, but also about building the leadership and institutional capacity needed to transform information into meaningful action,” he said. “It recognises the private sector not as a passive recipient of climate information, but as a critical partner within the climate services ecosystem.”
KMSA Acting Director General Edward Maina Muriuki said the programme addresses real business continuity risks. “The curriculum promotes a culture of preparedness and resilience. Businesses that understand climate risks are better positioned to minimise losses, protect assets, ensure operational continuity and identify emerging opportunities within the economy,” he said.
The training framework was developed through a multi-stakeholder co-creation process involving public institutions, academia, technical experts, regulators, and private sector actors. It incorporates KMSA forecasting products, WMO guidelines, and accreditation standards from KNQA and TVETA, and integrates regional climate outlooks, satellite datasets, and lessons from collaborations involving meteorological agencies, research institutions, agritech innovators, and development partners.
Mercy Corps AgriFin Programme Director Sieka Gatabaki said the initiative signals the growing role of public-private partnerships in climate adaptation. He added that the curriculum has the potential to be replicated across Africa to strengthen regional climate resilience systems.
The launch was presided over by Ishaam Abader, Director of the Regional Coordination Office at the World Meteorological Organisation, who noted that the private sector plays an increasingly vital role in climate services through innovation, financing, and technological advancement.
More than 70 participants attended the launch, including representatives from government institutions, climate investors, innovators, development partners, and agri-food entrepreneurs.
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