NiMet, NGF Forge Alliance for Enhanced Meteorological, Climatological Data Sharing
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) have formalised a collaborative framework with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at bolstering climate-smart initiatives across the 36 states of the federation.
The agreement focuses on deploying standard meteorological services and data sharing across key sectors including agriculture, telecommunications, marine, oil and gas, mining, aviation, disaster management, and other areas of the economy.
The MoU signing ceremony, held in Abuja, was graced by the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike, and the Director General of the NGF, Alhaji Abdulateef O.T. Shittu. Also present was the Chairman of the NGF, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State.
Expressing gratitude to the NGF and its leadership, Professor Anosike described the agreement as a crucial step in expanding access to weather information and services.
“This is a piece of the puzzle that we’ve been trying to solve. For us to be able to scale up access to weather information, not just to farmers, but also to help us manage our state airports. Without NiMet information, we cannot fly. So this relationship is very critical for us,” he stated.
Professor Anosike also announced that the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, has approved 4th February 2025 as the date for the public unveiling of the 2025 NiMet Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP).
He emphasised that the support of state governments would be instrumental in implementing the downscaled SCP across the federation. “Signing this MoU is a milestone for us, and we thank the NGF team for this opportunity,” he concluded.
In response, Alhaji Abdulateef O.T. Shittu lauded the formalisation of the decade-long relationship between NiMet and the NGF.
“NiMet is doing a good job. We still have in our libraries NiMet’s forecasts dating back to 10 years ago. We are delighted with the signing of this MoU because of what we will be able to do jointly for Nigeria and our communities in the states,” he remarked.
Shittu further highlighted that the partnership would enable both organisations to provide meteorological and climatological data tailored to agriculture, climate change indices, and other key areas, ensuring sustainable development across all 36 states.
The collaboration is expected to foster data-driven decision-making and improve resilience against climate-related challenges nationwide.