Using artificial rain to fight African droughts

IS artificial  rain possible? Can rainfall be prevented? If artificial rain is possible, why hasn’t it not been used to combat the myriad of droughts hitting Africa? In the Horn of Africa, countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya are endlessly plagued by drought so much that it takes the world to rescue them from hunger and death. The vast Sahara desert which is spreading fast to Nigeria is also home to little or no rain.
If artificial rain is possible, then why hasn’t it been used to  fight desertification and make that area a wetland once again, after all, rainmaking or artificial rain “refers to the act of attempting to artificially induce or increase precipitation , usually to stave off drought .”   If artificial rain is possible, imagine the possibilities it offers to Africa. Forest fires can be stopped. Fires burning our markets, public and private buildings can be stopped. Lakes and rivers such as Lake Chad presently drying up can be refilled.
Yes, if artificial rain is possible, then its advantages are legion, especially if appiled in Africa. But here,  its possibility or existence is viewed with scepticipism. But then,  in many societies around the world, rain dances  and other rituals have been used to attempt to increase rainfall. Some Native Americans  used rain dances extensively. Romanian  ceremonies known as paparuda  and caloian  were prevalent in Europe. Some United States  farmers  also attempt to bring rain during droughts through prayer, a phenomenon particularly common in US farming regions. These rituals differ greatly in their specifics, but share a common concern with bringing rain through ritual and/or spiritual means. Typical of these ceremonies was then-governor of Georgia Sonny Perdue’s public prayer service for rain, in 2007.
Rain is not made for fun. It has economic and social reasons. But in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, because much of what is known about rain making is from the works of native doctors, the art, where it is believable, is even derided and described as fetish, juju, magic and devilish.
In fact, some say rainmaking is not possible. Yet, in Nigeria, instances abound when native doctors chased away rains which threatened some social events.
Also, instances abound when rain making and rain stopping have been used all over the world. In fact, the art has gone beyond rain. It now involves the art of making snow as in China. Indeed, there have been plenty of attempts all over the world to influence the weather with chemical tricks. In Thailand, for example, what is called the ‘fon luang’, or ‘king’s rain’, is aimed at preventing drought, while what are known as ‘hail planes’ regularly take to the skies in Germany to subdue potential hailstorms.
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