Sierra Leone Publishes First CAP Warning, Advancing Early Warning Systems

The Sierra Leone Meteorological Agency (SLMet) has published its first warning using the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), marking an important milestone in strengthening the country’s early warning systems and digital transformation of meteorological services.

The first alert, issued on 4 March 2026, warned of light dust over Freetown in the Western Area Urban, which could cause slight reduction in visibility and potentially affect sensitive individuals with respiratory conditions. The warning advised residents to take precautions such as limiting outdoor exposure and encouraged drivers and marine transport operators to navigate with caution due to reduced visibility.

This warning was produced using the CAP Composer, an open-source alerting tool integrated into the agency’s new national meteorological website. The tool enables forecasters to create structured warnings aligned with international standards and publish them instantly online. Using CAP allows alerts to be easily shared across multiple communication channels and systems, improving the speed and reach of public warnings.

The operationalization of CAP represents a key step in Sierra Leone’s digital transformation of climate services. By adopting open-source technologies and digital public infrastructure, the meteorological service is strengthening its ability to deliver timely and standardized warnings that can reach communities, emergency responders, and decision-makers more effectively.

This milestone also contributes to the global Early Warnings for All initiative, launched by the United Nations Secretary-General, which aims to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected by early warning systems by 2027. Standardized digital alerting protocols such as CAP play a critical role in this effort by enabling warnings to be disseminated rapidly and consistently across institutions and communication platforms.

With the publication of its first CAP warning, Sierra Leone joins a growing number of countries adopting modern, interoperable digital systems for hazard alerting, helping strengthen national resilience and ensuring that weather-related risks are communicated more effectively to protect lives and livelihoods.