Agnes L. Kijazi
Dr. Agnes Kijazi, Director, WMO Regional Office for Africa, has more than 30 years of working experience in the field of meteorology at national, regional and international levels, a career she started in 1988.
Dr Kijazi was the first woman to be appointed as the Director General of the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) and as Permanent Representative (PR) of Tanzania to the WMO; roles she held from February 2010 to November 2022, after which she joined WMO. Dr Kijazi's leadership led to TMA's legal establishment through a Parliamentary Act as the authoritative voice on weather and climate in Tanzania, which enhanced TMA's cost recovery capacity.
Over most of her 30 years in meteorology, a career she started in 1988, Dr Kijazi has been engaged in meteorological operations and management, serving in various roles at national, regional and global levels, including: Third Vice President of the WMO and member of the WMO Executive Council.
As the Director of the WMO Regional Office for Africa, Dr Kijazi engages in advocacy and partnerships to spearhead WMO programmes in Africa in support of its Members. She provides strategic leadership for WMO's work in Africa, represents WMO in discussions with its Members and high-level partners, including African Union Commission (AUC) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and ensures that regional priorities feedback and reflect in WMO decisions.
Dr Kijazi holds a PhD and MSc in Meteorology from the University of Cape town, South Africa; BSc(hon) in Meteorology from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, a Diploma and Certificate in Meteorology from the Institute For Meteorological Training And Research Nairobi (a WMO-designated Regional Training Centres), Kenya, and the National Meteorological Training Centre Kigoma, Tanzania, respectively. As a researcher in the field of meteorology, she has published several article in peer reviewed journals.
