NiMet, NASRDA Deepen Earth Observation Partnership, Eye Meteorological Satellite
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) have moved to strengthen collaboration on earth system observation and the application of scientific data to drive sustainable socio-economic development in Nigeria.
The two Federal Government agencies also expressed readiness to explore the development of a meteorological satellite, improve technological adoption and deepen capacity building as part of efforts to enhance weather and earth observation services in the country.
The commitment was made during a courtesy visit by the Director-General and Chief Executive of NASRDA, Dr Mathew Adepoju, to the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
During the meeting, the two scientific organisations acknowledged the strategic importance of combining their respective expertise and mandates to improve the accuracy and reliability of earth system observations in Nigeria.
They noted that stronger collaboration between meteorology and space technology institutions would provide critical data and services required for the development of key sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Speaking during the visit, Anosike assured the NASRDA chief executive of NiMet’s commitment to reinforcing the existing relationship between both agencies.
He stressed that meteorological observations remained critical to national development, particularly in safeguarding lives and property, supporting climate-smart decision-making and strengthening the resilience of communities to weather and climate-related hazards.
According to him, reliable meteorological information is also essential to improving anticipatory action and enabling governments, communities and other stakeholders to take timely decisions ahead of extreme weather events.
The NiMet boss said the agency was consciously embracing emerging technologies to improve the quality and efficiency of its services.
He disclosed that NiMet was exploring greater adoption of technology, including Artificial Intelligence, to strengthen weather and climate service delivery and enhance the agency’s operational capabilities.
On his part, Adepoju called for deeper collaboration between NASRDA and NiMet on the development of a meteorological satellite for Nigeria.
He said such an initiative could position Nigeria as a pacesetter in space-based weather observation on the African continent and strengthen the country’s capacity to generate critical meteorological information.
The NASRDA Director-General also identified other potential areas of collaboration, including meteorological support for the operationalisation of hot-air balloons and the development of knowledge and skills through specialised training opportunities.
Both chief executives emphasised the need to encourage increased private sector participation in the development and operation of earth observation systems.
They agreed that private sector involvement could support innovation, technological development and investment in systems required to improve Nigeria’s earth observation capabilities.
NiMet and NASRDA also resolved to formalise and strengthen their partnership by reviewing the existing Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies.
The agencies said the review would seek to make the agreement more forward-looking, practical and actionable, with clearly defined outcomes capable of scaling up their contributions to Nigeria’s sustainable socio-economic development.
They further stressed the importance of ensuring that the impact of their collaboration could be quantified, particularly in terms of its contributions to national development, climate resilience, public safety and the growth of critical economic sectors.
