Stories and facts

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) is a governmental agency operating under the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, tasked with providing weather and climate services, analyzing scientific research, and offering guidance on climate change.

The agency is headquartered in Accra and is certified under the ISO 9001:2015 standard, affirming its commitment to formalized quality management systems in its forecasting operations.

The history of GMet extends back to the early days of meteorological observation in Ghana. As early as the 1830s, weather observations were conducted at Aburi Gardens in the Eastern Region by the Basel Mission.

In 1886, the British colonial government established three climatological stations along the coast, operated under the Medical Department.

The Meteorological Department itself was formally established in 1937 during the Gold Coast era. Following Ghana’s independence, by 1957 the Ghana Meteorological Services Department was in operation with fourteen synoptic stations and approximately 350 supporting stations.

In 2004, the Ghana Meteorological Agency was established under the Ghana Meteorological Agency Act (Act 682) to replace the earlier department and to formalize the agency as a corporate entity.

The agency is funded through the National Meteorological Fund as established under the Act. Over time, the station network evolved, and the agency today monitors weather across numerous synoptic and automatic stations nationwide.

GMet’s internal structure comprises several departments including Synoptic Meteorology and Forecasting, Research and Applied Meteorology, Engineering, Basic Network and Data Processing, and Support Services.

In its operations, the agency provides daily weather forecasts to the general public while also offering specialized meteorological services to other agencies and sectors.

For example, it issues ten-day rainfall bulletins to the Water Research Institute, monitors and maintains meteorological watch over the Flight Information Region for the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, supplies rainfall and evaporation data for the management of hydro-electric dams at Akosombo and Kpong via the Volta River

Authority, briefs trainee and military pilots, delivers maritime weather forecasts to the Ghana Navy, and issues six-hourly maritime forecasts to ships both at sea and in port.

Through these functions, the agency plays a critical role in supporting aviation safety, maritime operations, agriculture, hydro-electric power management, disaster risk reduction, and general socio-economic planning in Ghana.

Explore a range of government organizations listed below.