The Mozambican National Meteorology Institute (INAM) begun on Friday using data collected by Chinese satellites to forecast the weather and detect changes in the climate more accurately, with a view to giving prompt warnings of potentially disastrous events, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese government-run news agency quotes INAM’s deputy director Mussa Mustafa as saying: “We will have a system that allows the country to monitor tropical cyclones, something the former system did not allow us to do because of its coverage limitation.”

Mr Mustafa said the Chinese satellites monitored almost the whole planet, allowing forecasters to see when a tropical cyclone forms and track its course, and thus to give early warning if it approaches Mozambique.

Better weather forecasts are particularly important for the safety of aircraft and seagoing vessels, Xinhua quotes Mozambican Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Manuela Rebelo as saying.