Andrew Lala On Democratizing Weather Intelligence

*This episode of Climate Proofers is sponsored by Ignitia*

Weather intelligence is one of most exciting frontiers in adaptation and resilience tech.

But market solutions rub up against an uncomfortable paradox — the people who need weather intelligence the most are often those least able to access it.

It's a tension that today's guest, Andrew Lala, is very familiar with. As an international development and climate tech veteran with on-the-ground experience in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria, Andrew has seen first-hand the urgent need for farmers in developing countries to get a hold of hyper-local (and hyper-accurate) weather forecasts that empower them to adapt.

He's also seen how large, supposedly sophisticated businesses — from commodity traders to agrifood majors — are operating today without a data-first approach to weather risk mitigation.

These are all observations he's bringing to Ignitia, an AI-enabled weather intelligence company producing climate and weather intelligence tools for a dizzying array of clients, from African farmers to huge ports and logistical companies.

In this interview, he offers a blunt analysis of the weather intelligence space, explains why he thinks the market system around climate and weather data is "broken and fragmented", and gives us the behind-the-scenes story of how Ignitia became a finalist for the UN-backed AI for EW4All Innovation Challenge.

It's a must-listen for climate tech founders who want to learn from Ignitia's experiences, and for climate adaptation advocates curious about how AI can drive extreme weather resilience and preparedness within the world's most vulnerable communities.

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