By Nkechi Eze
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has taken a bold step in expanding its climate action mandate with the convening of its maiden Stakeholders’ Forum, themed “Early Warnings: Raising Awareness on Climate Risks and Promoting Early Action.” The historic forum, which opened in Abuja, marked the first of its kind in the agency’s history and brought together government officials, partners, industry players, researchers and development stakeholders in a collective push to strengthen Nigeria’s resilience against climate change.
Welcoming participants, the Director General of NiMet said the forum was designed to provide a unique platform to share progress, collaborate, raise awareness, co-create solutions and act in unison towards building a climate-resilient Nigeria. He reminded participants that NiMet, an agency of the Federal Government under the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, is entrusted with the statutory mandate to observe, collate, collect, process and disseminate weather and climate information for the safety of lives and property, as well as to support sustainable socio-economic development.
While highlighting the agency’s achievements under the leadership of the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, he explained that NiMet’s services extend beyond aviation to touch every sector of the Nigerian economy. According to him, despite the wide reach of its products and services, challenges still remain in their uptake and comprehension, hence the decision to convene the stakeholders’ forum. “This platform is aimed at creating awareness on how meteorological services enhance climate risk awareness, help communities adapt to climate challenges and build enduring resilience,” he said.
Reeling out NiMet’s key interventions, the DG highlighted the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) as the agency’s flagship product. He explained that it remains an indispensable early warning tool for farmers, livestock practitioners and other sectors, providing vital information on onset and cessation of rainfall, length of the rainy season, dry spells, temperature forecasts and their socio-economic implications. To deepen impact, he noted that NiMet has institutionalised co-production processes involving stakeholders from weather-sensitive sectors, translating forecasts into Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin, and disseminating them to communities for climate-smart planning.
On aviation, he stressed that weather information remains critical to the safety of air operations. NiMet, he said, ensures that airports, airlines and pilots receive timely and accurate forecasts in line with NCAA regulations, ICAO standards and WMO recommendations. He cited the deployment of the Electronic Flight Folder (e-Flight Folder) to replace manually prepared flight folders as a major innovation, alongside the debut of the Aeronautical Meteorology Bulletin. These initiatives, he explained, strengthen safety and efficiency in the aviation sector. He further revealed that NiMet has secured ISO certifications for five airports Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu, with plans to extend this to more airports.
The DG also spotlighted the Digital Climate Advisory Services (DCAS) initiative, which aligns with the UN’s “Early Warnings for All” target of ensuring every person is covered by life-saving early warnings by 2027. He said NiMet is partnering with stakeholders including Tomorrow.io, MTN Nigeria, Sahel Consulting, Green Habitat Initiative, UNDP, FAO, IFAD, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to deliver actionable climate information nationwide.
On disaster risk reduction, the agency’s collaborations with NIHSA and NEMA were underlined as crucial in mitigating weather and climate-related disasters. NiMet’s SCP serves as a vital input into NIHSA’s Annual Flood Outlook and NEMA’s climate-related disaster preparedness strategies. Similarly, NiMet is expanding its footprint in the marine and blue economy sector, working with NIMASA, NIWA, NIOMR, NPA and LASWA to provide daily marine forecasts and position the sector for sustainable development.
The DG noted that NiMet’s public weather services continue to influence daily livelihoods, with daily forecasts, severe weather alerts and warnings for thunderstorms, windstorms, dust storms and other extreme events. He also referenced the upgrade of the agency’s digital weather studio, now equipped with advanced graphics and animation capabilities to deliver world-class weather broadcasting services.
On capacity building, the DG spoke of the growing demand for climate services driven by climate change. He explained that NiMet has positioned its training institutions the WMO-certified Regional Training Centre in Lagos, the National Meteorological Institute of Science and Technology (NMIST), and the Muhammadu Buhari Meteorological Institute in Katsina to produce skilled meteorological personnel. Recently, NiMet secured WMO’s approval to designate the National Water Resources Institute in Kaduna as part of its training network.
He also emphasised that behind NiMet’s wide-ranging services are technological innovations, citing the agency’s in-house developed Meteowiz, which revolutionises data collection, collation, transmission and forecasting. Infrastructure upgrades have also been boosted through federal government support and international partnerships, including the African Union Commission’s donation of the state-of-the-art PUMA 2025 Meteosat Third Generation Satellite.
The DG made a passionate appeal for stronger support, saying NiMet cannot achieve its mandate alone. “Whatever we have achieved, we have done so with the active collaborations, partnerships and support from stakeholders, both within government and across local and international organisations. Sustaining these services requires continuous investment,” he said, while urging sectors to support cost recovery initiatives to ensure sustainability of services.
Recalling the theme of the forum, he warned that climate variability and change have increasingly threatened lives and livelihoods, stressing that early warnings must not stop at forecasts but must inspire understanding and decisive action. “Your presence, active participation and engagement in this forum are very critical. Together, we can make early warnings count, reduce risks, protect investments, and secure the future of our nation in the face of a changing climate,” he declared.
The DG commended the support of the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the Honourable Minister Festus Keyamo SAN, for strengthening NiMet’s capacity to deliver world-class meteorological services. He also acknowledged the contributions of the National Assembly led by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari and Honourable Tajudeen Kareem Abisodun, whose foresight in fine-tuning NiMet’s establishment Act continues to align the agency with global best practices.
With two days of deliberations, panel discussions, exhibitions and experience sharing ahead, NiMet expressed confidence that the forum will deepen engagement with stakeholders and translate into more impactful services. The DG reiterated NiMet’s commitment to transforming scientific outputs into sustainable revenue streams, expanding its partnerships, and building a climate-smart future for Nigeria.
