Saving Lives Through Forecasts: EMEDO Equips Goziba Island with Real-Time Forecast Board

May 23, 2025

Goziba Island, located within Lake Victoria in Muleba District, Kagera Region, is one of the many islands surrounding this lake. The island covers an area of 1.097 square kilometers and is home to 11,042 residents (7,398 men and 3,644 women), according to the 2022 National Population and Housing Census.

The main economic activity on the island is fishing, with an estimated 985 fishing boats operating in the area.

Fishing activities on Goziba Island involve various stakeholders, including fishers, fish processors, boat owners, and transporters. All these groups rely on accurate weather information to carry out their activities safely. Fishers depend on weather forecasts to ensure their safety while on the lake, processors rely on weather to plan fish drying and processing, and transporters use this information to schedule their journeys.

However, due to lack of awareness and the challenge of accessing reliable weather information in a timely manner, these groups have long faced several risks, such as drowning incidents, damage to boats, and loss of goods — especially sardines, which often spoil due to delays in drying during the rainy season.

On May 23, 2025, EMEDO, through the Lake Victoria Drowning Prevention Project (implemented in the Kagera, Mwanza, and Mara regions), and with support from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Irish Aid, and the Government of the Isle of Man, collaborated with the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) to install an electronic weatherboard on Goziba Island.

This board receives and displays real-time weather forecast information directly from TMA every day. The goal is to ensure that fishers and other fishing-related stakeholders can access timely forecasts before heading out onto the lake.

This modern, solar-powered board has the ability to display 24-hour weather forecasts for Zone One, which includes Goziba, Kemondo, Kerebe, and Bukoba. This innovation will help fishers and related stakeholders plan their activities based on accurate, up-to-date weather information.

To ensure the community fully understood the benefits, EMEDO also organized a public meeting to raise awareness about:

• The importance of adhering to weather forecasts from TMA
• Taking safety precautions while on the lake — including the use of lifejackets
• Ensuring proper care and maintenance of the installed equipment, for the benefit of the whole community

These efforts have brought significant benefits, especially for sardine traders — mainly women, who can now plan their purchasing and processing activities more effectively based on the weather forecast. This helps them avoid losses caused by spoilage due to unexpected rains.

This milestone builds upon earlier work done in October 2024, when EMEDO installed five other weather forecast boards and trained 20 Community Weather Champions. These champions continue to raise awareness and educate local communities about the importance of using weather forecasts in their daily fishing routines.