GMet Commences Development of Instructor Training Package to Strengthen Technical Capacity
The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has commenced a five-day Instructor Technical Workshop to develop the Basic Instructor Package for Meteorological Technicians (BIP-MT), as part of efforts to strengthen technical competencies and establish a structured approach to capacity development within the Agency.
The workshop, which began on Monday, 10 August 2026, at the Hill View Hotel, Abokobi, brings together selected staff from the Agency drawing on their diverse expertise and experience to collaboratively develop the instructional materials required to support the training of meteorological technicians.
The participants are expected to work on the development of the curriculum, lesson plans and teaching notes that will constitute the instructor package and provide a standardized basis for delivering training within the Agency.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Director-General, Operations, Dr. Ignatius Kweku Williams, said the initiative was particularly important to the Agency's broader competency development agenda and the need to respond to identified institutional training requirements.
He noted that Management had been tasked by the Governing Board to develop a three-year training plan, making it necessary for the Agency to identify the competencies required and strategically plan how those competencies would be developed.
“It is important that we identify various elements under which we need to build competencies under, and this is particularly echoed by the needs of the Governing Board. So, over the past couple of weeks, they have tasked us to even come out with a three-year training plan,” Dr. Williams said.
He explained that the workshop was therefore part of the Agency's strategic effort to determine where it wanted to position itself and develop the necessary capacity to achieve that objective.
Dr. Williams urged the selected participants to take full ownership of the assignment, stressing that they had been carefully selected based on the knowledge and expertise they could contribute to the process.
“You are part of the selected few who have been picked throughout this Agency to represent us. You are not here just because you are based in Accra, but you are here because you represent a significant thematic area to which you can contribute knowledge,” he said.
He called on the participants to make their full expertise available to the process so that the Agency could establish a common path towards building competencies in forecasting and other relevant technical areas.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Director-General, General Services, Ms. Vivian Abla Kally, said the decision to hold the workshop away from the Agency's office premises was deliberate and intended to give participants the concentration required to undertake the assignment effectively.
“There is a reason why we have taken this training away from the centre. There is a reason why you're not doing this at the office premises or around the office premises. It is because we want your full concentration,” she said.
She explained that the workshop was based on identified needs within the Agency and urged participants to recognize the responsibility associated with their selection.
“We are unable to house everybody at this time, so you have to count yourself lucky to be part of this team, but the obligation is on you, because we have another set or a whole set of people who will rely on your knowledge to also be able to make it work,” she said.
Madam Kally encouraged the participants to fully commit themselves to the exercise, noting that while the workshop also provided an opportunity to take a break from the normal work environment, its primary purpose was to ensure that the Agency's training obligations were met.
Giving Management an update on the work undertaken prior to the opening ceremony, Senior Meteorologist, Thomas Biney, said the team had made significant progress and was on track to deliver on its assignment.
He said the participants had already gone through the objectives and terms of reference and had commenced some of the group discussions ahead of schedule.
“So far so good, and I can say that we are even working ahead of time. Some of the group discussions were supposed to begin tomorrow, but as you came to meet, we've already started something, and we want to do our best to even go an extra mile,” Mr. Biney said.
He also disclosed that the team was considering expanding the scope of the assignment beyond the BIP-MT to include the Basic Instructor Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M).
The Deputy Director, Synoptic Meteorology and Forecasting and Team Lead, Joseph Tetteh Portuphy, described the assignment as a significant responsibility that would have lasting value for the Agency. He explained that the work would involve developing the curriculum, lesson plans and teaching notes so that the materials could be used effectively by instructors in the future.
Mr. Portuphy expressed confidence in the team and pledged that the participants would deliver a quality document that would stand the test of time.
“We promise that we will deliver and hand over a very good document to the Agency that will live the test of time,” he said.
In her closing remarks, Ms. Kally reiterated Management's expectation that the workshop should achieve and, where possible, exceed its intended purpose.
She welcomed the team's decision to explore the development of the BIP-M alongside the BIP-MT, describing the expanded scope as an added value to the exercise.
She further encouraged the participants to work closely under the leadership of the Team Lead and ensure that the objectives of the workshop were achieved.
The five-day workshop, which runs from 10th to 14th August 2026, is expected to culminate in the development and review of the instructor training materials. The outcome is expected to contribute to GMet's broader efforts to strengthen internal capacity, develop a pool of instructors and provide standardized instructional resources for the training of meteorological personnel.
The workshop therefore represents an important step in GMet's ongoing efforts to build the competencies required to support its mandate and future strategic direction.
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